Crossing Paths
by sergeant-bullshit
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple heist: attend the fancy gala at the Rossi Estate, grab the St. Dismas Cross by either outbidding the guests or stealing (or collecting as I like to put it), and slip out before I was noticed. Little did I know I wasn't the only one who had my eyes on the cross that night… Uncharted 4 - Sam Drake x OC - rating may change - potential spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

The plan was supposed to be simple.

I had attended countless galas, fancy parties, gatherings of the world's richest and most powerful crooks, and this auction at the Rossi Estate were meant to be no different. I had been reviewing the plan over and over again since I boarded the plane to Italy: enter the Estate, find the prize and figure out the auction lot order, outbid or steal, slip out before I was noticed. That's how it was _supposed_ to be, but man did things go downhill.

The night started off just like any other potential heist (or _collection_ , as my father preferred to say), I dressed for the part, would be extra charming, and would blend in with the sea of wealthy individuals. I had worn a red, seductive, backless dress (not my first choice of attire), which had fit somewhat uncomfortably on me. The dress had no support on my breasts; was too tight around my waist and bottom; and was very loose from my thighs down. The heels also felt too high, making my familiar gait become somewhat more calculated and unorthodox. But I counted my blessings that my legs weren't too restricted – if I needed to run or fight I still could freely. But this outfit wasn't exactly letting me blend in as easily as I would have liked. The red nail polish and crimson lipstick made me stick out like a sore thumb amongst crowds of tuxedos and simple dresses. I could feel the weight of everyone's eyes bearing down on me; I could just make out their audible whispers in Italian, questioning who I was and why I was alone. I presented myself as professionally as I could, and once I saw St. Dismas' Cross set up on the auction stand, I knew I could relax a bit more.

I went to scope out some champagne to calm my nerves and help me blend in… that moment is when things started to head south on this job.

* * *

I headed toward the upper floor, picking up the long, flowing skirt of my dress. I was hoping to get a better vantage point on possible escape routes in case this "collection" took a turn for the worst. I peered over the balcony, noticing nothing but crowds of people chit-chatting casually. I was started to grow a bit bored and anxious, wishing that the stupid auction would begin already so I could get on with my evening.

 _"Scusate, signoril."_ A unfamiliar voice chirped behind me.

I turned my head slightly to see the back of a waitress speaking with three men, dressed sharply in tuxes. When the waitress spoke they seemed a little spooked at first that someone else was speaking with them. I immediately grew suspicious that they were scheming something. I knew that jobs often came with competition, so I was always instructed to be on the look out for potential threats.

 _"Antipasti?"_ The waitress asked, holding up the silver platter.

I saw one of the men refuse (with slightly spiked up hair), and the other flirted shamelessly with her, taking some samples off the platter. The third man was an older silver-haired gentleman, and there was something very familiar with him, but I couldn't place a finger on it.

"Would you focus?" The first man gave the other one a quick shove on his arm.

"A waiter wouldn't get noticed," he pointed out, his eyes following the waitress with a sly smile spread on his face.

 _"Mi scusi, signora."_ The same waitress had come over to me now. I saw that other man still had his attention on her, and now his eyes fell on me. Great.

 _"Antipasti?"_

I gave her my most pleasant smile I could muster up, pretending not to notice the three gentlemen watching me now.

 _"No, preferirei avere champagne." (No, I'd rather have champagne)._

" _Certo,"_ she said with a nod.

I quickly turned my back away from the men, hoping their lingering stares would cease. I still thought about the older gentleman, I swore I'd recognized him but I couldn't recall it straight away. I waited for them to continue on with whatever they were speaking about earlier, but they had grown quiet.

"Excuse me, miss," I heard a gruff voice call behind me.

I felt my insides tighten at once. I pretended not to hear, but the voice hollered again. I knew if I kept on ignoring him, more people's attention would be drawn toward me. I turned around fully now to face him, putting on a forced smile.

"Sorry to bother you, but I feel like I recognize you from somewhere?" The older man asked.

"Jesus, Sully, really? She's kind of young isn't she?" I heard the spiky-haired man hiss toward him.

The other man that had flirted with the waitress said nothing, his eyes were keen on me, and he had that same allured grin on his face. The way he looked at me made me avert my eyes in embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks growing hot, much to my frustration. This isn't the kind of attention I wanted to attract, but I must admit I did feel slightly flattered.

 _"No l'inglese mi dispiace."_ I answered, coating my voice with a false sense of innocence, I hoped pretending I couldn't speak English would keep them off my trail.

The older man cocked an incredulous brow for a moment. I knew I didn't fool him, I could see it in his eyes. I stood there for a moment, feeling trapped like a deer in headlights; waiting for what he was going to do next. If my cover had been blown then I would have to most likely forget about collecting the cross.

Failure in my family was unacceptable.

"Sorry to have bothered you, ma'am," he dismissed, his lips pulled back into a coy smile.

I gave him a curt nod and retreated back toward the base of the stairs. I could feel sweat forming on my forehead and my heart racing uncomfortably in my chest. My mouth had gone bone-dry, and suddenly I was craving that champagne more than ever. The waitress had eventually made her way back, but it felt like an eternity. Those men were still watching me and mumbling secretively to themselves. They were up to something, which I knew for a fact.

Once I was back downstairs, I sipped my champagne tentatively, scanning the room for any more threats. The lot with the St. Dismas Cross sat out in the open, and took every urge in my body not to rush over and grab it. I had no idea what it was actually worth; I never really looked too much into my jobs. I was just given an agenda, the name, picture, and location of a collectable, and then I retrieved it. If those other men really were after it too, then I guessed it had to be worth something.

As I waited for the auction to start I spotted a familiar figure weaving his way amongst the crowd. That man with the slightly spiked hair from upstairs was sneaking around. The flirty one kept his distance behind him, followed by the older gentleman. I took another gulp from my champagne and started to tail them from behind, being sure to keep a safe distance away and appear busy with packs of crowds. I saw them stop at a large wooden door and struggle to get it open. I knew what they were thinking next: keycard. A waiter with a bottle of wine came out of the door, and I saw the men perk up instantly. I knew they were going to pickpocket the unsuspecting waiter. I faced away from them, taking another drink while pretending to talk to someone close to me. Before I knew it, I lost them in the crowd. I decided my best course of action would be to stand close toward the lot of the auction and wait for the best opportunity. I was curious and on edge with those men sneaking around, but as long as they weren't close to the cross at this moment I could relax. Or so I thought…

* * *

As if this night couldn't get any harder for me, Nadine and Rafe had to be here. One of my cousins had an unpleasant run in with Nadine back in the Philippines on a mission. As for Rafe, let's just say him and his father has been a rival to my family for a long time. Even more strange was that they were speaking to that old man from earlier. That's when I felt like throwing in the towel, there was no way I could compete financially with those two, especially Rafe. I took out my phone from my handbag (also obnoxiously red) and sent a text to my father.

 **Me: 'I just saw Rafe & Nadine'**

 **Father: 'Do you think they want the cross?'**

 **Me: 'Possible'**

 **Father: 'Are they alone?** '

I glanced back over toward them.I hoped they wouldn't catch me trying to snap a picture of them. The image was somewhat obstructed from other people, but I didn't want to risk getting closer. I sent the photo to my father, waiting nervously for his reply.

 **Father: 'Victor Sullivan is with them.'**

 **'Keep watch, do everything you can to get the cross.'**

 **'Forget about bidding.'**

 **Me: 'Ok'**

Victor Sullivan… if my father knew him then I knew I had to (or at least heard of him). I waited a few moments longer, watching the three talk somewhat stiffly at each other. The false smiles on their faces didn't hide the truth in their body language. Their conversation wasn't a positive one.

Before I knew it the auction had begun and I had no idea what to do. There was no way I could outbid Rafe, or this Sullivan character, so I started to drift into the shadows. The final countdown for five hundred thousand dollars started, and it looked like Rafe was going to be the highest bidder. As I made my way away from the crowd, I saw that flirty man from before, but he had changed his outfit. He was wearing a waiters outfit, standing close to the cross…

Shit… I knew what was coming next…

The lights went out, and cries of outrage immediately erupted from the crowd. I had missed my window of opportunity. I didn't wait for the lights to flash back on to know that the cross had been taken. I broke out into a run, following the direction that man was standing seconds before. I pushed past people, ignoring their smug looks of disapproval, and not caring if I was attracting attention now. That cross was my main priority, and I let it slip right from my grasp!

The lights kicked back in, and I found myself in a secluded room with large windows, and red velvet covering nearly every inch. The man was trying to open the window; the cross jutting out from the front of the waiter vest. I immediately sprang toward him, thrusting a rough roundhouse kick into his side. He exhaled in pain, and stumbled backward, appearing stunned. I had taken him by surprise, which was good. For the first time tonight I had the upper hand. I came at him again, opening my hand, curling my fingers back to strike him with the heel of my palm on his chin, but he evaded me by mere inches. He raised his hands, still appearing taken aback from the blow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on a second!" He rasped, bewildered.

I didn't let up; I _needed_ that cross; it was only a matter of time before Rafe sent his goons looking for it. I lunged at him again, swinging my fists at him with calculated precision, but he was prepared now. I managed to get in one hit on his shoulder, but he gripped my arm and tried to push me back, but I pivoted my bottom foot and spun out of his grip. I chambered my knee up high for a crescent kick, aiming for his temple attempting to knock him unconscious. But the heels had caught on the carpet, making me stop my spin halfway. He saw me stumble, and then tried to make another break for it, but I leapt after him again. I gripped his shoulders, ready to use my weight to trap him in a submission.

"Jesus, lady!"

He struggled to twist awkwardly out of my grasp. His persistence was starting to annoy me. I gritted my teeth as I clung to him and fought against his attempts to break free. Eventually he got the idea to slam his back into the wall, crushing his weight into me. I felt the full impact and let go, sucking in air in a poor attempt to catch my breath. I stood up, this time seething from being thrust into the wall. He knew that I wasn't going to give up, as I went for him again, he gripped the bottom loose part of my dress and pulled. The fabric had wrapped around my legs and tripped me; I flopped over, hoping I wasn't too exposed. God, I _really_ hated this dress…

"I'm not leaving without that cross!" I shouted in irritation. That was bad self control on my part, but I was quickly becoming impatient with this job.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you do speak English." He massaged his side, still sore from my kick.

I went for him again, chambering my fist for a fake-out punch, waiting for him to take the bait. As he brought up his arms to block, I spun quickly and got him on the cheek with a spinning back fist. He grunted in pain, stumbling back dizzily. I reached for the cross, but he slapped my hand away. He started to chuckle much to my surprise (and irritation).

"What's with you?" I huffed, not understanding what the hell could be so funny.

"You don't give up, lady!" He exclaimed, but his laughter was cut short. He pressed his hand to his ear for a moment. I could hear faint crackling from a speaker and a voice, but it was too low and inaudible for me to pick up. He had a damned earpiece in his ear.

"Sorry, gotta run!" He turned on his heel and headed for the window again. I raced toward him, reaching out my hand to catch his vest, but I missed. He climbed up to the roof and was making his escape. I couldn't follow him; I wasn't as talented at scaling walls.

I removed my heels and dashed out of the room. The other guests had already started evacuating once I left the room; they seemed panicked as Rafe's men rushed around the entire estate, wielding weapons as if they were on a battlefield. I followed the crowd outside, but didn't head toward the lot full of Ferraris. I made my way around the perimeter of the estate, determined to get that cross. I don't know how long I searched, but gunshots rang and echoed out of the building as if a massacre was going on inside. This little cross was valuable enough for these men to risk dying for. I looped back around and found a window left ajar near one of the estate's many great halls. I leapt in, only to be introduced by one of Rafe's men. He whipped his AK-47 around, pointing the barrel directly at me. My hands shot in the air, pleading for him not to shoot me. He gripped me by the front of my dress and tossed me to the ground, yelling obscenities at me in Italian. I peered fearfully up at him, as his gun remained aimed at my head. His finger tightened around the trigger, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

BANG!

My eyes clenched shut. The sound of a gun firing was followed by a heavy THUD soon followed. I slowly opened my eyes to find Rafe's man dead before me. Another body towered over me; I looked up fearfully, only to find the flirty man staring down at me, a pistol in his hand. He had a puce colored bruise already forming on his face from where I hit him. The cross was still stuffed at the front of his shirt, though the vest was long gone.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" He extended his arm to help me up.

I eyed him suspiciously. Why would a man I attacked save my life and help me? I hesitantly placed my hand in his. His hands felt rough and calloused, but warm as his fingers wrapped around mine. He hoisted me up, giving me an exasperated smile. The other man with the spiked hair came around a corner then. When he saw me he slowed his pace. My eyes fell back on the cross again. It was right within my reach, but I wasn't about to pull a stunt like that with two men holding guns next to me (not to mention this man just saved my life).

"Easy, Nate, it's okay," the man eased. "She's a little feisty, but I think she's harmless."

My eyes shot over to him. I clenched my fists, feeling infuriated. "Harmless? I was kicking your ass just a few minutes before!"

Nate frowned at me, ready to raise his gun. He still didn't trust me, but that was fine, I didn't trust him either. The other man kept his cool, that stupid annoying (and charming) smile still on his face. He lowered his hands, giving Nate the signal to lower his gun. I heard the earpiece crackle again. Whoever was on the other line was growing impatient.

"Sam, we've got to keep moving." Nate had already started to step back, heading toward the exit.

"I'm not going anywhere without that cross!" I shouted, getting his attention. Right as I stepped forward the door burst open, followed by another swarm of Rafe (and possibly Nadine's) men came flooding in. I had no choice but to brace myself and follow this "Sam" and "Nate's" lead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone for reading and writing me encouraging reviews. The support on both this site and Tumblr has been amazing! I hope you all continue to enjoy the story!**

* * *

Bullets instantly started flying, missing both Sam and I by mere inches. Sam gripped me by the arm and dragged me down toward the ground, and behind a pillar for cover. He held a pistol in his hand, occasionally leaning out of cover to shoot at Rafe's forces. I had no weapons other than my fists, which would do nothing for me at this moment. I watched Nate hop over a table and take out one of the men. More gunfire caused dust from the pillar to fall and cover me in a cloud of debris. I shielded my head, feeling helpless in the fray. I was still trying to wrap my head around why Sam had even saved me in the first place.

"Augh! Nathan!"

I glanced out from behind the pillar to find one of Rafe's goons trying to choke Sam from behind. I'm not sure if I felt indebted to this stranger, or what came over me, but I dashed over to them. I gave the man a low sidekick into his kneecap, feeling it bend backwards under the pressure of my foot. He immediately let go, letting out a sharp cry of pain. Sam gained his bearings, then knocked the man out with the brunt of his gun. Sam gave me a small smile, one that made my cheeks grow crimson (once again). I averted my eyes from him. Bullets were suddenly fired at my feet, jolting me back into reality again. Nate hollered something from across the room, but I couldn't make it out with all this background noise. My brain started reeling as I ducked behind cover. I debated whether I should make another attempt to make another swipe for the cross while Sam was distracted. I cursed myself for thinking of such a dirty stunt after this man saved my life, but I had a mission to complete.

"Hey, let's keep moving!" Nate called from up ahead. He waved Sam and I over, standing beside the exit.

I exhaled heavily, pushing away the idea of going for the cross right now. My main concern should be to get out of the Rossi Estate alive. I followed them, doing nothing really other than hiding behind cover as the guys took out anyone aiming a gun at them. I felt a little rattled, honestly. I hadn't been surrounded by this much death in a long time. Most of my missions didn't turn out to be a bloodbath. I preferred my jobs to be done a little cleaner.

Eventually we made it outside by a pretty pond with more pillars sticking out from the center. It was a shame that such a beautiful place was being turned into a warzone. One of the gunmen had targeted me, and was hot on my heels. I tried to make a run for one of the pillars by the pond, but I felt my dress catch on something. The man chasing me had caught the skirt of my dress, pulling me back violently, feeling some of the fabric rip as I struggled to keep moving forward. I tripped, falling into the water. The dress was now sopping wet and felt ten times heavier. I swore if I made it out of this I would never wear a damned dress again. As I tried to raise my head, I felt a hand roughly grip the back of my head and slam me down back into the water. It was in those agonizing few seconds that I realized he was trying to hold me under. Before I could start panicking, his grip loosened and the water turned from clear to red. I felt myself become hoisted up again, this time it was Nate who had rescued me. I felt embarrassed for a moment, being a damsel in distress was pathetic on my part. Great, now I had to feel indebted to him, too.

"We need to keep moving! We're almost there!" Sam called from ahead.

The three of us were on the move again. Maybe sticking around these guys wasn't such a bad idea. Well, I thought until Sullivan's white car came crashing through the garden, and up some steps. He laid his hand on the horn, trying to hustle the guys to move faster. Nate and Sam jumped in the car, and by instinct I was going to follow them, until Nate's hand gripped the handle on the door. I caught the door with my hand before it could slam shut.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You don't think you're coming with us, do you?" Nate questioned.

Sullivan turned around, "what in all that is holy is goin' on back there? Don't you see the army comin' after us? We gotta move!"

"C'mon Nate, we can't just leave her out here to die," Sam pushed Nate's hand away from the handle.

I climbed in, and before I could even close the door Sullivan pressed his foot against the accelerator and sped off. Bullets riddled the car as he drove away, but we were all long gone before any real damage could be dealt. I turned around in my seat, watching the Rossi Estate grow smaller and smaller. I let out a sigh, placing a hand over my hammering heart. That was too damn close.

"I knew I recognized you," Sullivan interjected after a long silence.

"Huh?"

"You look just like your mother," he stated. I was clearly confused by what me meant so he went on. "I've done business with your grandfather before, and your father for that matter. You know your family has been in this type of lifestyle generations longer than I can remember."

I didn't reply. This reminder of my family just added to the complicated place I was in, and whether or not I could walk away with the cross. I clutched onto my handbag (still relieved I even still had it after what we went through), knowing that I would have to contact my father eventually. Sam and Nate stared at me, clearly intrigued by Sullivan's comment. Sam eyeing me made me suddenly feel very self-conscious of my disheveled appearance. I kept my eyes on the back of the passenger car seat.

"Wait a minute, so you're a treasure hunter too?" Nate asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I prefer the term collector, but yeah, I guess you could say that," I replied, evenly.

"You're not working for Rafe and Nadine are you?" Sam asked.

I made a face of disgust, which made him break out in another one of those charming smiles. "No, Rafe and my father don't get along. We had some bad business deals with him before. As for Nadine, we had some bad run-ins with her and Shoreline."

"So, let me guess, you're after the St. Dismas Cross?" Sullivan asked.

"I am."

Sullivan slammed his foot on the break, making all of us jerk forward.

"Jesus, Sully!" Nate exclaimed.

"Sorry to do this to you, missy, but you need to get out now." Sully sighed.

I didn't move a muscle. I stared at him through the rearview mirror, feeling anger starting to settle in my stomach. I didn't come this far just to walk away now. I balled my hands into fists. "I'm not leaving without that cross."

Sullivan turned off the car and stepped out. I watched him circle the car wearily until I opened the car door on my side. Still, I didn't move. Sam was sitting right beside me. I could nab the cross now, but with Sullivan and Sam both right next to me; my chances of getting away were slim.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you have this cross," Sullivan glanced behind me and toward Sam, "there's a lot riding on this that you have no idea about."

"If you know my family so well, then you know what will happen if I come home empty handed!" I was seething now, feeling even more trapped then I had before back during the auction. All of this was so stupid!

Sullivan gently gripped my arm and led me out of the car. I decided not to struggle, knowing it would do nothing but make matters worse for me. Sam and Nate watched me, and once again I felt my eyes drift to the cross, which was now being held protectively in Sam's hands.

"I'm sorry. I respect your family, but we're not giving away that cross." Sullivan's tone was final.

I felt tears of frustration spring to my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I held up my fists and lowered my body weight into a sturdy fighting stance. If I had to throw a few more punches to try and get the cross, so be it. At this point, I honestly didn't care anymore.

Sullivan shook his head at me, as if he were pitying me. "There's no point in fighting for it, kiddo. We've got you outnumbered. I'm sorry things didn't work out." Sullivan pulled out his wallet then and started thumbing through its contents. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you some money so you can catch a ride back to wherever it is you are staying at. There's a bus stop right over there." He held out the money toward me. I wanted to slap it down, but I repressed my childish feelings of anger. I knew they had bested me, and he was trying very hard to deal with this civilly. I reluctantly took the money, my shoulders slumping in defeat.

Sullivan gave me a sad smile, "there you go." He patted me on the shoulder before walking back to his car. Sam and Nate were staring at me now, their expressions blank. Feeling utterly shamed, I walked toward the bus stop, listening to their car zoom off.

* * *

As I sat waiting for the bus, I pulled out my phone, shaking off the water that was still dripping from it. I had been dreading this conversation.

"I just had to get a waterproof phone, didn't I?"

 **Me: I didn't get the cross**

 **Victor Sullivan has it**

 **I'm sorry**

I waited with mounting dread for the reply. It felt like an eternity before I felt my phone vibrate. I looked down at the screen.

 **Father: Are you positive?**

 **Can you go after him?**

 **Me: No. He had me outnumbered and did not want to fight**

 **I'm so sorry I didn't have a choice**

 **Father: You know Simmons won't take that as an excuse**

Just reading Simmons' name made a chill run down my spine, like an icy fingertip brushing against my skin. Simmons was going to be furious knowing that I had failed to retrieve the cross.

 **Father: I will try to explain to him about the situation**

 **Me: You know it won't help**

The bus pulled up and the doors swung open. The driver gave me a look at my messy appearance, but said nothing. I climbed the steps, feeling as if I had fifty extra pounds weighing down on my shoulders. I choose a seat in the back, avoiding the other passenger's stares. I felt my phone vibrate again.

 **Father: I pray for you**

 **Me: I've got a flight to catch**

I ended the conversation there, trying to ignore the horrid feeling my father's messages gave me. He was now worried about what Simmons would do to me now, which only made me even uneasier. In the morning I would be heading to the airport with a heavy heart, tired and treasure-less. I thought that this was the end of my journey; that my failure to secure the cross would be the last I would ever hear of St. Dismas. I was wrong. Little did I know I would be crossing paths with the Drake brother's again.

This time it wouldn't be Italy, it would be in Scotland.


	3. Chapter 3

**I can't thank everyone enough for their continuing support of this story! Thanks for reading, everyone! xoxo**

* * *

"You little, pathetic bitch! How could you fail?"

Simmons roared, pacing around our family's large living room. He struck a vase off of one of our shelves, sending it flying across the room. I clenched my eyes shut as it shattered against the floor. I couldn't even bear to look at him; his eyes were bloodshot, he had a large vein jutting from the side of his neck and his forehead, his skin was turning an unpleasant shade of pink. I had seen Simmons angry plenty of times, but never to this extent. He took some of our rare china and smashed it on the floor in a fit of rage. He was like a toddler throwing a tantrum, it would be embarrassing to watch if it wasn't so scary.

My parents watched helplessly from the sidelines, their arms crossed in front of them, their heads bowed in shame as if they were trying to ignore the entire scene erupting before them. Simmons screaming wasn't even the worst of it; this man was a fan of torture and mutilation to those who "fail" him. My real punishment was yet to be sentenced. I kept my eyes downcast at my feet, watching his shadow lurk around the room. Simmons then stormed up to me; I flinched as I felt his presence close in. His hand grabbed my cheeks, squeezing hard as his fingers dug deep into my skin. He jerked my head up, still gripping my face. He was absolutely livid, and I was beyond petrified. He had the look of absolute bloodlust in his eyes.

"The cross was right there, and you lost it," he growled, his face inches from mine. "No excuses, you had a mission and you failed." He stepped back, releasing his grip on my face. He started to unbuckle his belt. "Turn around and get on your knees."

My heart leapt fearfully to my throat. My parents' gaze's shot up then, they appeared absolutely mortified. Would Simmons really humiliate me _that_ way in front of my family? I reluctantly obeyed, turning around slowly and squatting down to my knees. I held my breath, listening to the sound of his leather belt snap in his hands.

"Lift up your shirt," he ordered, taking a bold step forward.

I now realized what he was going to do, but this alternative offered me no comfort. I lifted up my shirt from behind, exposing the bare skin on my back. Without hesitation he pulled his hand back and brought the belt down hard. The crack as it hit my skin echoed through the house. I let out a grunt of pain, my eyes instantly prickled with tears. He brought his belt down again, harder and faster. The buckle struck my skin this time; I could feel warm blood starting to pool and drain. I sucked in desperately for air, my hands now trying unsuccessfully to grip the floor.

"You failed! You had the cross, and you let it get away! Do you have any idea what that was worth, you bitch?" He shouted, bringing down his belt again, and again, and again.

I cried out in pain, feeling the flesh on my back practically screaming for relief. I had no idea how many times he had struck me, but I knew this punishment was far from over. Simmons is a sadistic man, he didn't stop until he was certain whoever "wronged" him would never do it again. Even with the excruciating pain, I felt angry. My father was the one who ended up owing this sick man, and now I was paying for it. He stuck me again, this time hard enough to make my vision go black for a moment. Spittle drooled from my mouth as I flopped down to the floor. I heard Simmons draw out a heavy sigh, like he was the one breaking a sweat. His boots stomped around me, circling me like I was easy prey. I panted heavily, my eyes blurred with tears, and my back radiating with pain.

Simmons kneeled before me. He shot out his hand and grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced me upward. "You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today," he cooed cynically, "I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself." I waited for him to continue on, biting my lip hard enough to nearly pierce my skin. "My contacts have tracked down the whereabouts of the cross, not that the cross has any use now. It has already been used by Sullivan." He let go of my hair and straightened up. "The cross of St. Dismas was the key to unlocking something unfathomable to an insect like you. In Scotland there's a cathedral by the name of St. Dismas Cathedral; that location has the secret to discovering the biggest treasure of all time."

It was almost amazing how quickly Simmons' mood changed. He was now walking casually around the room, his temper from before was completely gone. I tried to sit up but my back throbbed in pain. On the bright side I wouldn't ever have to wear a backless dress again after the scars I'm sure this was going to give me.

"Tail Sullivan and his team, and Rafe Adler as well. Find out all the information you need to find out where the treasure is hidden. Contact your father when you find it, I'll take care of rest."

Without knowing what came over me I opened my mouth. "What treasure is it?"

Simmons paused, almost surprised that I even had the gall to speak after the beating me just gave me. A sinister smile spread on this face, one that made my blood run cold.

"Henry Avery's of course."

* * *

I pulled my jacket tightly over my body, trying to get warm as the icy wind cut through me. Just moving my arms caused my back to throb in pain. My mother did everything she could to patch me up, but the damage was already done. It hurt so bad just to put clothes on, but Scotland was freezing this time of year so I didn't have a choice. I hiked for miles, feeling my feet start to protest from the constant friction on my heels. Finding the cathedral was easy enough; just follow the sound of dynamite going off. I was told that Nadine's way of doing expeditions was blowing everything to smithereens. I shook my head at that, that woman was careless, did she have no idea of the history that she was reducing to rubble.

I made my way to a graveyard covered in tombstones with all kinds of different pirate emblems. I couldn't stand the pain in my feet and my back any more, so I sat down on one of the tombs, resting my fatigued body for a moment. I stared down at my hands, feeling weak and unconfident. How was I going to sneak my way past Shoreline, and whoever else was working with Sullivan? There were separate parties working against each other, and throwing me into the mix just made everything clash more.

Masculine voices were carried in the wind, shaking me from my lethargic state. I sprung up, whirling my head around to find a tombstone big enough to hide behind. I lowered myself to the ground, letting out a groan as my clothes rubbed against my back and irritated the wounds. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could keep up. I had only just gotten to Scotland this morning and I was already feeling winded.

"Here's some Scripture for you – 'Be sure your sin will find you out.'"

I paused. I was certain that I knew that voice, it just sounded so familiar. I was afraid to move without being spotted to get a better look.

"Nope, bad dates."

Another familiar voice, who was out here?

"Yeah well, the swords are a match."

I could hear shoes crunching in snow and grass walk past me. I placed my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing. Whoever was out here was interested in swords and tombs. If they were after Avery's treasure, what are they doing so far away from the cathedral?

"Sam, c'mere," one of the voices called.

Sam? No, it couldn't be-

"What, did you find it?"

I had to take a look now to see if I was hearing correctly. I crawled slowly out from behind the tomb to see Sam and Nate standing in front of a large tomb with a skull in the middle. I didn't think I would find those two again, but whatever they were doing out here, it looked like they were beating Rafe's men to the punch. I watched them study the skull, muttering back and forth to each other. Nate then turned the skull to face left. All of the sudden the sound of gears started cranking, and the ground beneath us began to rumble. From behind the tomb stairs opened up, leading down under the Earth. I watched them, amazed as they quickly made their way down the stairs and out of sight.

I finally came out hiding, taking my phone out of my jacket pocket. If Simmons wanted progress, that's what he was going to get. I got off easy with the lashing on my back, if I fail him again he's probably going to cut off my hand or cut out one of my eyes. Just thinking those dark thoughts made bile rush to my throat. I swallowed it down and readied my phone to take a picture. I zoomed in on the tomb, showing the details of the skull, the name Benjamin Bridgeman, and the dates: 1659-1699. I took a separate picture of the stairs leading down to an unknown pathway. I sent the messages to my father, waiting to see what he'd say, or give me an update on Simmons' attitude.

 **Father: Looks like you found something**

 **Me: Not me**

 **Two men I met at the Rossi Estate, they were working with Sullivan**

 **Father: Follow them don't lose the trail now**

 **Simmons wants to start seeing results**

 **I don't want him to hurt you again**

 **Me: Show him the pictures**

I brushed off my father's words; trying not to think about more ways Simmons could torture me for his sick pleasure. I headed down the stairs, hoping I didn't fall too far behind Nate and Sam. I followed the path, noticing that whatever was under this cemetery looked like catacombs. It was unbelievably dusty under here, and had a musty smell from being closed up for ages.

I felt as if I was wandering through elegantly carved archways and statues for a while, until I started hearing their voices again. I slowed my pace, hoping to catch them in the middle of a discovery. I didn't get my hopes too high thinking it was the treasure. That would be way too easy. I walked through a door and saw the guys standing in front of three statues depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They were analyzing it thoroughly. I went to hide behind a pillar, trying to be sneaky – something that isn't my strong suit. I ended up accidently kicking a piece of stone on the ground, sending it sliding across the floor.

Sam whipped his pistol out and spun toward the pillar, where I was hiding behind. Dammit, I had startled them and gave away my position _again_.

"Who's there?" Sam demanded.

I hesitantly walked out from behind the pillar, my hands raised above my head. I saw his face light up with recognition as he lowered the gun. Nate did the same, his eyes growing wide as my face began to register.

"Well I'll be damned," Sam stated almost breathlessly, "it's you, the pretty girl from the auction."

Pretty? I looked awful. My hair was a mess, my eyes had horrible dark circles from lack of sleep; my cheeks were red from the cold weather outside. I felt suspicious if he was just trying to butter me up to get my guard down.

"How did you find us?" Nate asked, bewildered. "You know that we don't have the cross anymore, right? It contained a clue leading us here, that was its only value."

"I know," I replied, "this isn't about the cross now."

Sam put his gun away. "Then what is it about now? Did you miss us that bad?"

I smirked. "Cute," I droned sarcastically. "You don't have to play dumb, I know about Henry Avery's treasure."

Nate shot Sam a glance, now worried as if Avery's treasure was a secret just between them. I lowered my hands, wishing I had been more suave when I entered this place.

Nate shook his head, drawing a heavy sigh. "We're already competing against Rafe, we can't afford to have someone else trying to take it from us. This treasure means more than you think."

"I'm not interested in the treasure, myself. I'm just gathering information on its whereabouts for someone else," I explained. "Trust me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be. You two saved my life back in Italy, I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"That doesn't change anything, I'm sorry."

I was at my wits end with how many obstacles I've run into since the Rossi Estate. Tears of frustration welled in my eyes as I slowly felt myself losing control again. Just the thought of going back home empty-handed to Simmons made me feel like I'd be physically ill.

"Are you expecting me to beg?" I exclaimed, shrilly.

"I'm sorry, but my brother's life is at risk if we don't find that treasure."

"My life is at risk, too!" I paused a minute to wipe my eyes, sniffling and cursing myself for getting so emotional. "I don't need all the treasure, I just need to know where it is. Maybe my boss doesn't want it all. I know Rafe well, maybe I can help you with him."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Maybe I can distract him or throw him off the trail for you guys. I know neither of you know me, and what I'm asking is a lot, but please… I…" I placed my hand on my shoulder, feeling the pain from the welts on my back radiating. "I'm desperate here…"

Sam gave Nate a look and a shrug, and Nate pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. I waited, feeling vulnerable from crying and acting like a whining fool in front of two (nearly) complete strangers.

"Okay, okay, fine-"

I ran over and hugged Nate without thinking. The truth was I was beyond grateful, and this decision was actually saving my life. I hugged Sam too, who seemed a little taken aback from the sudden embrace. He placed his hands on my shoulders awkwardly. These men kept saving my life, I wasn't sure how I could ever repay them. This wasn't exactly how Simmons wanted me to go about finding the treasure, but this was my best option now.

"I'm going to snoop around and see if I can find Rafe, or run into Shoreline." I started to head back through the catacombs.

"Wait – Nadine's army is pretty ruthless, you sure you'll be okay?" Sam called after me.

The corners of my lips tugged into a ghost of a smile. "Trust me, we're old _acquaintances._ I'll give them a reason to hold their fire. Just see what you two can dig up on Avery."

I continued on. The brothers thought I was out of earshot, but I heard them talking to each other as I left.

"Hell of a woman, huh?"

"Sam, will you focus on what we're doing please?"

I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Keep moving!" The Shoreline soldier's thick accent demanded into my ear. He gripped my bicep uncomfortably, forcing me through a secret way in the catacombs. I tried my best to appear like I was afraid, but to be honest I felt really giddy. For the first time things were going my way.

"Wait here-" He ordered, leaving me outside of a door. I could hear Nadine and Rafe talking inside, it sounded like they were having a "mild" disagreement. The soldier interrupted them, they talked for a moment, and then next thing I knew the soldier was escorting me into the room.

Nadine's eyes narrowed on me in recognition. Rafe's eyebrows raised in surprise seeing me in an underground catacomb in Scotland of all places.

"Leave us alone for a minute," Rafe told Nadine. Nadine gave me a scowl, ramming her shoulder into mine as she left. Well, she definitely still hates me.

"Hi, Rafe."


	4. Chapter 4

**I went back and edited some mistakes from previous chapters - Thank you to everyone leaving reviews, following, favoring and reading this silly little story of mine. All of your support means the world to me! Sorry for not updating right** **away, it's been a very busy week! I hope everyone enjoys! xoxo**

* * *

Rafe gazed at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. He sat down at the makeshift table with the maps and plans laid out before him. I waited for him to speak, folding my arms awkwardly in front of me.

"Have a seat," he gestured to the chair from across the table. I obeyed, sliding into the rickety wooden chair. He exhaled for a minute, studying me with his droopy, light hazel eyes. "Where do I even begin with you?"

I didn't know how to respond, I remained silent, just shrugging lamely.

"How'd you find out about the treasure? Pirate goods aren't really your thing, I know you enough to know you prefer the treasures and history of Eastern Asia."

"I owe somebody," I stated, simply.

"Owe who?"

I bit my lip, averting my eyes for a moment, knowing already how he was going to react. "Simmons."

Rafe raised his eyebrows in surprise. "As in Louis Simmons? How the hell did you end up owing a crazy bastard like Simmons?"

I sighed, wishing Simmons hadn't been brought up. Whenever I hear his name my anxiety raises enough to make my hands start trembling. I just wanted to focus on helping Sam and Nate enough to get Simmons off my back (literally).

"My father crossed him, so we're all paying for it now," I answered, sourly.

"Oh, well your father wasn't always the best at making deals, no offense." He sat back in his chair, lost in thought for a moment as I waited to hear what Rafe would do. I doubt he would let me stick around the catacombs to work with him. "You know I'm not the only one after Avery's treasure," he finally said after a long pause.

"You mean Nadine?" I replied, flatly.

"No, I mean three old associates of mine. Victor Sullivan, and the two Drake brothers." Rafe leaned in as if to study me closely for a moment, has hands on the table as if he was giving me an interrogation. "You haven't seen any of them poking around here have you? I know some Shoreline troops were having trouble a couple klicks away."

I shook my head, putting on my best poker face. "No, Shoreline is the only thing I've run into out here."

Rafe stood up then, not looking very convinced. "So, you just happened to find your way into these catacombs by yourself?"

"Well, I'm not stupid, thank you," I clipped, feeling slightly insulted (even though I did have help).

Rafe was next to my chair now. He kneeled down slightly so we could be at the same eye level. He was trying to break me, and I wouldn't let him.

"Listen, I know we go way back, even when we were little kids, but those days are over. Whatever we were before changes when business takes over. You understand what I'm getting at here?"

I nodded. "I hoped given our history you'd be more supportive," I muttered, quietly.

He chuckled humorlessly, "not a chance, not after those last few run-ins I've had with your family. Sorry, sweetheart, but that's how it goes. Nothing personal-"

"Just business," I finished for him with a cheerless smile. "So what now? Are you going to get one of those soldiers to execute me? Send me packing?"

"I don't want to shoot you, I'm giving you the opportunity to walk away here."

I stood up out of my chair now, feeling the urge to challenge him just so I could delay more time for Sam and Nate to find what they were looking for. I hoped they made some progress while I was dealing with this mess.

"You would send me home with nothing back to Simmons? You know what that sadistic psychopath is capable of. He'll beat me within an inch of my life, or do something sick like give me a lobotomy or something. Killing is merciful by his standards."

Rafe waved his gloved hand dismissively, "I don't need a sob story, I've owed Simmons in the past, too, and I know plenty of what he's like."

This I didn't know. "What did you do?"

"I paid him off," he reputed with a careless shrug.

"Hmph, figures."

Rafe sighed again, as if this entire meeting was a big annoyance to him. "Because I like you, I'm going to let you go. I'll tell Nadine to call off her Army from shooting you when you leave. Hop back on a plane and head home, no harm no fowl."

"There _will_ be harm, I'll still have to deal with Simmons," I pressed.

"You'll figure it out, you're smart." He gestured toward the door, cuing that I had overstayed my welcome. "Go on, don't be shy."

I pondered if I should feign stubbornness to make my story sound more convincing. I was worried if I left without a fuss he would grow suspicious. I remained immobile, staring at him with sad, but subtle eyes to invoke some reaction out of him.

"Please, I'm trying to do this as civilly as I can." He pressed his hand in between my shoulder blades to lead me out. The pain from the welts on my back immediately flared up. I sucked in for breath through gritted teeth, leaning over to avoid his contact. Rafe shot his hands defensively in the air, "whoa, what happened?"

"Simmons…" I uttered.

For a moment I swore I could see a flash of pity cross Rafe's face, but it was gone too soon for me to conclude that it was real. Rafe is a ruthless person that I don't think has a compassionate bone in his body any more. This was one of the reasons we started drifting apart as we grew up.

"Even though, so you still have to-"

"I know, I know," I snapped, making my way toward the exit again. "Even if it wasn't a pleasant conversation, it was still good to see you again."

* * *

Now what? Here I was standing in the middle of a slope in Scotland, listening to dynamite explode in the distance. It snowed lightly on me; flakes collected on my jacket as I waited under a bare tree, wondering if I would receive any word from the Drake brothers. The more time went on, the more I was starting to wonder if I had gotten played. Had Sam and Nate just go along with my plan to distract Rafe as a ruse to get rid of me? I wouldn't be surprised. In frustration I kicked the ground. I had met another dead end.

I walked toward the slope, seeing that it was a steep drop into the icy waters below. Watching the waves crash below had a strange hypnotic feeling, as if it was pulling me toward it. I let my feet inch toward the edge, the tips extending past the cliff. If I were to jump right now I'd be free from this trapped life I was living. All I had to do was jump into the water, close my eyes, and wait for gravity to do the rest as it dragged my body further and further down.

I wouldn't have to work tiresome missions for my family anymore. I wouldn't have to deal with Simmons ever again. I wouldn't ever be used again.

I stumbled back, suddenly feeling very dizzy. I fell on my butt, crawling backward away from the edge. I gasped for breath, my hands reaching for my throat as if it were closing. Tears welled and drained freely from my eyes. I let my dark thoughts consume me for a moment, and it scared me how close I'd come to completely letting it take over. I hugged my knees and starting sobbing like a child, shivering, cold, and alone. I was so shaken up from my own inner battles that I didn't hear the gunfire or the plane engine running right around the corner from where I was sitting.

The plane roared overhead, taking off from the water as bullets struck its frame. I looked up, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. They were hovering up high. I knew they spotted me and were deciding how to pick me up. More gunfire struck the plane; Sullivan dipped the plane and maneuvered a little more inland. Shoreline wasn't letting up. I knew if any of the Shoreline soldiers saw me board the plane then they would tell Rafe that I was lying. I stood up and started running across from the slope, trying to find a way to safely get closer to the water.

I found a slanted area on the cliff, leading right down to the water. I dove down, letting myself slide down. The rocks and gravel was beyond uncomfortable; when it hit my back I felt as if I'd faint from the pain. Sullivan brought the plane down back toward the water as I continued to slide down it. I landed faster than I anticipated, hitting the water like a solid object. The contact knocked the wind out of me. The dizziness came back, along with a floating sort of haziness. I drifted underwater, not even trying to resurface for air. I felt myself sinking, unable to will my limbs out of atrophy. As my vision began to darken, I felt someone's arm wrap around me, across my midsection and pull me up. After that, things went pitch black.

* * *

I woke up to the feeling of turbulence, and the sound of a roaring engine. A blanket had been draped over me, though I still felt freezing. I could feel someone's hand on my back (I tried to ignore the pain), as if holding me in place as the plane felt like it was bouncing around. I groaned, opening my eyes and looking up. Sam was there. I rubbed the grogginess out of my swollen eyes.

"Hey, she's finally comin' to," he called ahead of him.

Nate walked by, with a similar blanket hanging from his shoulders. "Here," he said to Sam, passing him a blanket. I watched him walk to the cockpit where Sullivan was steering.

Sam used the blanket to dab at his face, trying to dry off. My throat felt sore and restricted, though I still wanted to talk. He noticed me moving my lips wordlessly and shushed me gently.

"Don't overdo it, let yourself rest." Sam cooed calmly.

"Well, that was a close one huh?" Nate piped up from the cockpit.

"They shot up my goddamned plane, Nate!" Sullivan bit back. "Not to mention you brought _her_ with you. We nearly got shot down going back for her! But your brother insisted!"

"We're fine, thanks," Sam interjected, testily.

"How soon can you get us to Madagascar?" Nate asked Sullivan.

Madagascar? What on Earth did they find under those catacombs. I sat up, feeling my muscles pull and cringe in protest. My back flared up again, but I continued to lift myself up. Sam gripped my shoulders, steadying my swaying figure.

"No treasure, then," Sullivan replied after a long pause.

"Not yet," Nate answered confidently.

So there was nothing under the catacombs? How did they come to the conclusion to go to Madagascar? We're in Scotland!

"I don't know what you're talking about, look," Sam turned around to face the cockpit, taking out some kind of coin from his pocket, "we're rich!"

Sullivan took it from his hands, examining the coin. "Jesus, I guess it's a start. And you think the rest is in Madagascar?"

Nate took the coin. "Well there was a chamber back there with a giant map of Madagascar on the floor, so yeah it's probably there."

Sullivan shook his head. "This is beginning to smell a whole lot like wild goose, kid."

Sam exhaled, sitting up to go to the cockpit. I watched in confusion, my head pounding relentlessly. I gripped my temple, laying gingerly back down for relief. I listened to them debate back and forth about the treasure and how Nate thought Avery was inviting pirates to his treasure. Sam was frustrated; he paced the back of the plane. Nate thinks Avery and a bunch of other pirates hid their treasure together.

That would be one hell of a fortune; no wonder Simmons was so interested in it.

"How's our passenger back there?" Sullivan called. The sound of his voice echoing made my ears ring. I felt terrible, but grateful to be alive.

"I'm okay…" I croaked, my voice low and hoarse.

"I didn't know you knew Rafe so well," Nate added.

"Pardon?"

"We heard you and Rafe talking while we were in the catacombs. You softened him up a bit, but you didn't manage to get Shoreline to slow down too much. Nadine and her army still found us in the chamber."

I frowned, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry-"

Sam shook his head, holding up his hand to stop me. "Don't apologize, hon, you did what you could." His eyes studied me for a moment. "So… what did this Simmons character do to you?"

I felt my body go cold. I swallowed thickly, turning over to stare out the plane window. I didn't want to tell them, sharing something so terrifying and intimate felt as if I was exposing myself to the horror again. I didn't respond, gathering up more of the blanket to get warm. I hated that every time I heard Simmons' name I instantly shut down.

Sam took my silence as an answer, his expression melancholy. "He's a really bad guy, huh?"

Sullivan cleared his throat, "are you talking about Louis Simmons? Goddamn, how did you end up getting mixed up with that sadistic son of a bitch?"

"Long story, it was my father's fault," I clipped, flatly.

We were all silent for a while, listening to the rumbling plane engine. I took out my phone, checking to see if it had been damaged from the fall. Yup, still in working condition, and still holding its waterproof status. I wished this damned thing would break so I wouldn't be connected to Simmons.

 **Me: Kings Bay in Madagascar is where the next clue is**

 **Father: Is that where the treasure is really hidden?**

 **Me: Not sure until I get there**

Sam's calloused hand resting on my shoulder made me jolt. He pulled back apologetically.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

I sighed, "it's all right, I'm just texting my dad."

Sam sat in silence beside for a minute, thinking carefully what he should say. "Are you doing okay? Do you need anything? Like a cup of water, another blanket-"

"No, no, it's okay. I'm fine, thank you." I replied, earnestly. He'd already saved my life (again). "You've done more than enough, really."

Sam smiled, that same, damned charming smile of his. It made my heart flutter and my cheeks glow. I felt stupid, feeling this girlish giddiness toward someone I hadn't known that long. He was older than me, and he was still my competition against finding this treasure. I looked away from him, hugging the blanket closer toward me. I felt myself being lulled back to sleep by the peacefulness of being away from gunfire.

"Get some rest," I heard Sam say before I drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**After a lot of thought and reviewing my story I decided to change it from Sam x reader to Sam x OC. I felt it makes more sense and gives me more creative flexibility with what I can do with the character. As for the OC I'm going to name her Danielle (Dani for short). Sorry if this change confuses the story too much!**

* * *

 _24 years ago_

"Quit dawdling, get up!" I looked over at Mrs. Adler, wincing slightly at her expression. She had that stern look in her eyes, targeting whoever she disapproved of with that sharp stare. She sat next to her husband, who was too preoccupied with the newspaper to watch their son's match. He always read the paper, checking on something called "stocks."

Rafe fell to the ground with a thud, his bokken clattering to the floor beside him. His opponent was a much bigger kid than him, and looked like he was enjoying beating Rafe and tossing him around. I could see the kid smirking from behind his protective mask. Poor Rafe was clearly frustrated, no matter how many times he swung at the kid; his attacks would always be blocked or parried.

"What a meanie," I commented, my thumb in my mouth.

My father took my thumb out of my mouth, flashing me a look. "You're too old for that, Dani, stop sucking your thumb. Pay attention, Rafe may be advancing from a wooden sword today to the blunt edged sword."

"It's called an _iaitō,_ daddy." I corrected.

"Hmph at this rate Rafe will never advance, just look at that sloppy form! Disgraceful!" Mrs. Adler added, her tone scrutinizing Rafe's footwork and form.

"Well, you wanted him to study in this art, honey, instead of European fencing," Mr. Adler interjected, his eyes still peeled on the newspaper. Those stock things must be very interesting.

"Nonsense, Japanese arts are the most proficient of the arts." Mrs. Adler snapped, still frustrated with her son's match. Rafe fell to the ground again, groaning as he shifted to get up. His sensei called the match, making some comments on how the two opponents drew from their scabbards.

"No way, Korean arts are the best," I piped up. My father cleared his throat, cuing for me to shut my mouth.

I don't think Mrs. Adler heard me anyway; she got up and walked over to Rafe. They had a hushed, but heated argument before Rafe stomped toward the locker room of the dojo, snatching up his bokken from the floor. I jumped off the bleachers and followed him quickly. I found him sheathing his bokken and slamming his protective equipment down into his sparring bag. He glanced over at me; startled that someone was standing in there with him.

"Dani, you shouldn't be in here, this is the boy's locker room," he mumbled, continuing to pack.

"Are you going to get a shinken like your sensei?" I asked, clueless to his seething mood at the moment.

"How could I? I can't even win one simple match!" Rafe suddenly exploded, shooting straight up from kneeling down at his bag. I cowered backward, bringing up my hands to my face defensively. Rafe softened, "sorry, Dani, it's not your fault. I'm just never gonna make my parents proud at the way my training is going."

"Maybe you can come train soo bahk do with me since you don't like iaido that much," I suggested, suddenly feeling excited to have a friend in class with me.

"No, my parents want me to learn to fence with swords, you know how they are." Rafe shrugged.

I watched him pack, admiring at how delicately he held his bokken. Rafe was so cool, he was already eleven and got to play with the big kids that my father said we weren't a "high enough class to associate" with, whatever that means. He got to go to the big kids school. I was stuck being a little kid. I hated being a little kid. I heard some commotion from outside the locker room, suddenly remembering what my mother said we could do once Rafe's iaido lesson was done. I ran over to Rafe, gripping the cuff of his uniform, jumping up and down in excitement.

"You're coming with us to get ice cream! Hurry up and put your stuff away so we can get ice cream!" I squealed.

"Aw, taking your girlfriend out to dinner?" An unfamiliar voice cut in from behind us.

Rafe and I both turned around to see the big standing in the locker room, that rude smirk on his face again. Rafe glared at him as the kid shot me a nasty look. I backed up, shielding myself behind Rafe. The kid took a bold step forward, placing his bokken down in his locker.

"I'm getting to move up to a real sword soon, looks like you're still using a wimpy wooden one," the kid mocked. His eyes fell on me again, "looks like you got at least one adoring fan." He walked over to Rafe, trying to get around him. He snatched my arm, squeezing hard into my bicep. He started to drag me out from behind Rafe's protection. "You sure are puny, I heard that you trained, too? You sure don't act like it."

"Stop it, that hurts!" I cried, trying to struggle to get out of his grasp.

"Leave her alone, asshole!"

I snapped my head around, surprised that he said the bad a-word. Rafe had his bokken in his hands. His hands were chambered back far, ready to swing. The kid let go of me as Rafe fluidly unsheathed his sword and brought it across, towards the kid's arm and chest. The kid jumped back, grabbing his bokken as he slid back. The two of them clashed wooden swords for a moment before drawing back.

"You want a rematch that bad?" The kid snarled, bearing his teeth.

Rafe swung his bokken upward, toward the kid's neck; it just narrowly missed the kid's throat. This enraged the big kid, he charged at Rafe, trying to knock him over and disarm him. Rafe looked stressed and tired from his match, I was afraid the big kid was going to hurt him. I ran over and roundhouse kicked the big kid on the back of his calf. He stumbled over, distracted enough to drop his guard. Rafe quickly swung his bokken and struck close to the kid's wrist. The kid's bokken went sailing across the locker room. Rafe had successfully disarmed the kid at last.

"Stupid girl!" He kid yelled angrily at me.

That struck a nerve with me. I ran toward him again, ready go give him a low kick at his groin, but the mean kid pushed me away easily. It didn't take much force for me to fall over. Rafe went to go for him again, when Mr. Adler stepped in, grabbing Rafe by the arm. The kid's parents and my own were now in the locker room, staring wide-eyed at what was happening.

"What is going on here?" The kid's father exclaimed. He stared angrily at Rafe and Mr. Adler. "Your son was trying to fight my son! Wait until I tell the sensei about this!"

"He started it!" Rafe pointed at the kid with an accusing finger.

"Yeah! Rafe was protecting me!" I responded, running up to my father and wrapping my arms around him. "The big kid was being a bully!"

"Nonsense! The little girl shouldn't be in here, anyway!" The kid's father snapped, not believing what I said.

"Calm down, calm down, we'll get this sorted out," my father whispered to me.

"But it's true!"

My father shushed me.

Mr. Adler gave the other kid's father a cool and confident look. He crossed his arms as the rest of us watched in awe, holding our breath waiting for what he was going to do next. He took a step forward, a strange smile spreading on his face. "Are you calling my child, and my client's daughter a liar?" Mr. Adler asked, his voice low and on the verge of being dangerous.

"Your son is obviously a delinquent in the making! And that little girl, she shouldn't be sneaking in the boy's locker room! It's inappropriate!"

"Children, go wait outside for a minute," Mr. Adler instructed us. Rafe and I gave him an uncertain look. "Run along now, the grownups need to talk."

We waited outside the dojo, by the entrance. Rafe seemed preoccupied with the conversation that was going on behind closed doors. I was quite bored; whatever they were talking about was sure taking an awful long time. I paced around, making raspberry sounds. I started to suck my thumb again, checking to make sure my father wasn't watching. I was tired of waiting around here; I just wanted some ice cream already. I suddenly had a fearful thought that if the two of us were in trouble, that would mean no ice cream…

"Do you think we're in trouble?" I asked Rafe.

"No, but that jerk is going to be," he replied.

I cocked my head to the side. "You mean that big kid? No ice cream for him!"

Rafe sighed in annoyance, shaking his head. "This isn't about ice cream, Dani, this is about _justice_. He's going to get what he deserves. No one messes with an Adler and gets away with it."

The animosity in his voice made me frown. "Maybe the police man will take him away and he'll have to eat broccoli every day for the rest of his life." That sounded like a pretty terrible punishment to me.

"Forget it," Rafe sighed again, "a child wouldn't understand."

"Hey!" I whined, "I'm going to be big like you soon! I'm almost seven years old!" I stood on my tiptoes, pouting by sticking my bottom lip out.

"Quiet down, Dani, don't make this worse than it already is."

Eventually my parents came out, looking slightly perplexed with whatever happened in there. The Adler's exited right behind them, appearing triumphant. I don't know what Mr. Adler said or did to them, but that family never came back to that dojo.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling disoriented for a minute. It took me a minute to remember that I was on a small plane flying above Scotland, or _was_ flying above Scotland. It was dark outside now, we were most likely above England. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and waiting for them to adjust. Sam sat on the floor of the plane, flipping the Avery coin with his thumb. Why did I dream of that? That seemed like a lifetime ago. There was so much I didn't understand as a child.

"Hi there, sleeping beauty," Sam greeted.

I could hear Sullivan and Nate talking in the cockpit, arguing about where was a trustworthy place for them in England to stop for fuel, and what airline they could board to fly to Madagascar. Sam seemed uninterested, focusing on the coin.

"How long was I out?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Almost four hours, you must've really needed it, uh-" he paused a moment.

I just realized that he didn't even know my name. "Danielle, but everyone calls me Dani. Nice to officially meet you." I held out my hand.

"Well, Dani, it's nice to meet you too." He shook my hand. "So, Dani, tell me a little about yourself."

I gave him a skeptical look, "why?"

Sam shrugged, "I dunno, we're gonna be traveling together, might as well try to learn about who I'm working with."

"I don't think there's anything that interesting about me," I told him, honestly.

"Oh, please, I doubt that. Sully said your whole family is in the treasure hunting business? That's pretty neat, and at the Rossi Estate you seemed to know your way around a fight."

I looked down at my lap, unable to stop the smile from spreading on my face. "Well that's pretty much it."

"C'mon, what's one of the best treasures you've found in your years of experience?"

"I'm not really a treasure hunter, I'm more of a hired help in located valuables for someone else. I don't get to discover things myself on many occasions."

"I know, I know, I mean something that you enjoyed discovering or exploring."

I thought for a minute. I had been a long time since I was sent somewhere for pleasure. "Well, there was one time I got to explore the Muyong Chong in Manchuria."

"What's that?" Sam asked, seeming intrigued.

"It's a royal tomb built during the Koguryo dynasty. Archaeologists believe it was built around 3 AD." I explained. Sam chuckled, and I frowned, "what's so funny about that? I know it's not as impressive as Avery's treasure, but-"

"No, not that," Sam interjected, "your face just lit up talking about it, that's all." Sam simpered. "Like Rafe said, you really are into Eastern Asia, huh? Just like I'm into pirates."

I blushed, staring down toward my lap. I was a grown woman acting like a silly schoolgirl; get ahold of yourself, Dani! I knew from experience that getting into relationships with people never went in my favor.

"Hey, you two, we're getting ready to land!" Sullivan interrupted. "Sit tight, the runway is going to come up fast."

I did as he said, bracing myself and falling silent. These feelings I was having were silly and pointless, anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much to everyone for continuing to supper this story! You all give me so much inspiration! To answer the question: yes, Dani is 30 years old :)**

* * *

I was standing on top of an old (or what was left) of an old house or monument, aiming my phone's camera at the massive volcano in the distance. I swatted at the pesky mosquitos hungrily swarming around me. I thought Madagascar was beautiful, but I could live without the overpowering smell of red clay and wet dirt. I sighed glancing down toward the jeep where Sullivan and Sam waited, parked in the shade. Nate searched the old house for clues and treasures regarding Avery. So far he turned up nothing.

"Can we get this show on the road?" Sullivan hollered, growing impatient and irritable from the heat.

I leapt off the roof, checking my phone to make sure the photo sent to my father. I was hoping the volcano would ease Simmons' mind on my progress. I smacked a mosquito on my neck as I climbed in the back and sat next to Sam. I wasn't looking forward to the ride, Nate wasn't the best driver and there were a lot of close calls when crossing the uneven terrain.

Everyone was silent for a while, expect Sullivan who was telling Nate to "take it slow" as we drove upward on a cliff. I felt gravity pulling me backward, envisioning that I was on a roller coaster the higher we drove.

"So Nathan, you're thinking Avery, Tew, and some other big-shot pirates pooled their treasure, and came out here because… why, exactly?" Sam asked, grabbed onto the side of the jeep as it pulled over a bump.

"Who knows? Maybe for protection? British authorities were closing in on 'em."

"Sure. Maybe he helped them disappear. I mean, the guy clearly had a knack for hiding things."

"That's for sure," I muttered under my breath. I didn't find Avery's tricks very amusing, considering my life and Sam's were on the line if the treasure wasn't found.

Nate pulled the jeep by an old ruined tower, complete with steps all the way to the base. Nate got out, and we all followed (except Sullivan). We'd been driving out here for a while now, it was nice to finally see something that Avery must of left. I snapped another picture as Nate and Sam climbed up the steps, and found their way in one of the openings. I followed, though my climbing skills were not as great as theirs. On the inside there was some kind of symbol on the ground.

'Finally, something promising,' I thought, taking another picture.

"That's Christopher Condent's sigil. Captain of the Fiery Dragon. Operated out of Madagascar around Avery's time," Sam inspected the sigil on the ground in awe. Sam rambled on about it as Nate doodled the symbol in his journal.

I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket uncomfortably (these jean shorts were starting to make me chafe). I looked down at my phone, my brows furrowing as I saw the message.

 **Private Number: Are you sightseeing**

 **Me: Who is this?**

I felt a sudden sinking feeling as I awaited the reply. Part of me already knew. I wiped the sweat gathering on my forehead with my forearm anxiously.

 **Private Number: Your time is running out**

 **Are you close to finding the treasure or not**

 **Me: The volcano and the sigil are clues from Avery**

 **Private Number: Just hurry up**

 **I am growing tired of waiting**

 **Me: I understand**

I closed my eyes, not even realizing that Nate was wrapping the winch around a tree to get the jeep up the clay. Simmons was growing impatient, and that was a bad thing. I hoped that this volcano was the last stop, if not I'm not sure what I can say to Simmons to keep him calm.

"Hey, you comin'?"

Sam's voice shook me from my thoughts.

I slipped my phone in my back pocket, giving him a tight smile. "Yeah, everything's good."

Sam didn't look convinced, I could see the way he was reading me with his brown eyes. I felt suddenly very exposed before him, as if he was taking a look at my feelings and my secrets. I looked away, starting to head back toward the jeep. I felt like I was losing control of my life again (not that I had much control over my life to being with). I felt trapped again, like I did that one time in my life a long time ago…

* * *

 _12 years ago_

Usually most people are excited to turn eighteen, but my eighteenth birthday was a life sentence, and I had the documentations in front of me to prove it. My father sat solemnly beside me, his hands folded neatly in his lap, his expression blank. The Adler's attorney had his briefcase on the table, pulling out papers and talking directly to me, though I wasn't really hearing a word of it. My eyes were fixed on the certificate before me, the bold letters appeared as if they were popping off the page.

 **MARRIAGE LICENSE**

Mr. and Mrs. Adler approached my parents with the "offer" (yeah right, like we had a choice) to marry their children. It would bring "great for the business", "we would have an heir to pass on the business to", blah blah blah. Rafe and I grew up together, I always looked at him as family, but marrying him? It felt wrong.

"Miss Danielle?"

My eyes shifted toward the attorney. He was looking at me expectantly, holding out a pen toward me. I took the pen slowly, feeling as I was reaching out my arms to be handcuffed. He wanted me to sign some paperwork making it "legally official", or _binding_ as I referred to it. I flashed by father a bilious look, showing him how displeased I was about the whole situation. He didn't even dare look at me, I know he felt ashamed, but I didn't care. It was _his_ fault that this was happening. I was his goddamned daughter, but today I felt like I was a product being sold in a business transaction.

"Very good, everything should be in order now."

I took that as a dismissal. I shot up from my chair and marched off without looking back. I ignored my father calling to me and left the living room. I climbed the stairs to my room, feeling hot tears sting my eyes. I slammed my door shut, locked it, and went straight for my bed. My reflection in my mirror caught my eye, stopping me in my tracks.

There I was, Mrs. Danielle Adler.

I frowned at my reflection, hating what I saw staring back at me. My freckles littered my face, all the way down to my shoulders; the same freckles I was teased about throughout most of my childhood. My honey-brown hair hung limply past my chest, my brown eyes appeared red and puffy from misery.

 _Not very appealing for a blushing bride,_ I thought, imitating Mrs. Adler's serious voice.

I felt so ugly, worthless, and trapped. My entire life had been planned and thought out for me, right down to when I die. I haven't even seen Rafe yet, and facing him would be the hardest part. Tonight he would be returning from Europe so we could meet, exchange our vows (more like paperwork), and start living together as husband and wife. I felt disgusted, throwing myself on my bed as if I was a child having a tantrum. It wasn't fair, nothing was ever fair.

* * *

Rafe appeared equally morose as we entered his room, shutting the doors behind him to close out his family and their pestering conversations (more like orders). He took something out of his pocket and took my hand. He slid a large, sparkling diamond ring on my finger. It was heavy and looked gaudy to me, but it was worth more money than I would ever make. I smiled thinly, thanking him under my breath, and me mumbled something about how he wanted to keep _something_ traditional at least. Saying I was afraid of what was coming next was an understatement. I knew the main purpose of this marriage was to pretty much be an incubator for Rafe's child so the business could be inherited. Before I even arrived at the Adler's household, Mrs. Adler had appointments set up for me at a gynecologist to see when I was ovulating. There was a damn chart of my menstrual cycle hanging up in the kitchen, it was so embarrassing.

Rafe started to unbutton his shirt, as I sat on his bed, my insides knotting uncomfortably as I watched him. I tried to summon up some kind of positive feeling, but I couldn't. This marriage was doomed to lack affection from the beginning.

Rafe sat beside me, his hazel eyes unreadable. It felt awkward sitting next to each other, but we both knew what we had to do. We had to prove our "vows" to each other, and start trying to produce children as soon as possible. He started to remove my shirt, I tried to resist the urge to tense up. I had never done this before, so I was not sure what to do. Rafe was twenty-three, so I'm sure he had at least some experience. I shifted onto my back as he wordlessly mounted on top of me, closing my eyes tightly.

Sex with Rafe was slow, methodical, and unfeeling. His hips moved without rhythm against mine; his skin felt cold against my own. The only sounds in his room were the sounds of our own muffled breathing. We weren't holding hands, we didn't grope each other, we didn't speak, we didn't kiss; we were just there. The sex was astonishingly painful, I felt as if I would cry if it went on any longer. Knowing that this was going to be the rest of my life had only made me feel colder. Rafe and I would barely have anything to talk about, would keep having emotionless sex until I became pregnant, and then raise the child to be able to take care of the family business.

Mrs. Danielle Adler, destined to be unhappy until death do us part.

After he was finished he rolled off of me. We both stared up at the ceiling, neither of us uttering a word about what we'd just done. I twisted my wedding ring on my finger; it clung tightly as if it was squeezing the life out of me. I thought of the thing as a shackle whenever I wore it.

"Don't feel bad, Dani," Rafe muttered in the dark.

I let out a rattled breath in reply, still feeling unpleasantly sore.

"This is what a husband and wife are supposed to do."

I turned my back to him, clinging to the bed covers to cover what was left of my modesty.

* * *

"Oh shit, stop! Stop!" Sullivan yelled, shaking me from my terrible memories. The jeep jerked to a stop. Dust from an explosion rose in the distance.

"I seem 'em," Nate sighed, reaching for his binoculars.

"What have we got?" Sam asked.

"Military types poking around," Nate replied.

"Nadine's guys?"

"Yep."

"Son of a bitch," Sam cursed.

Well, it looked like I would be running into Rafe again after all. I watched mournfully as the soldiers trampled around the outpost, not listening to the guys ramble on about how they were going to go about getting around Shoreline.

* * *

 _12 years ago_

A month into our marriage felt like a lifetime already. Rafe had been starting to scare me. A few years ago he was in a prison somewhere in Central America on some kind of "business" (he never went into details about it with me), and he was telling me that during the escape he stabbed one of the prison guards. He had this wild look of pride in his eyes as he told the story. He gripped my hand excitedly to get my attention as he told the daring tale of how him and his team fled, and how he outsmarted the prison guard by taking him by surprise. The story was horrible, but it seemed to spark some life in his dull eyes. I just nodded, giving him a false smile as I pretended to be supportive. He was all riled up about that project he'd been working on in Europe. I questioned about it several times, but he would just tell me not to worry about it.

I found married life quite boring. Rafe had maids, servants, chefs, anyone you could imagine to help around the house. They took care all of the cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning, so I had nothing really to do all day. I wanted to apply to college and start planning for a career, but the Adler's dismissed the idea. They told me I would be too busy taking care of the baby to focus on school. They also told me they had enough fortunate to last generations past my lifetime so it would be "pointless" for me to pursue a career. They didn't understand, I needed _something_ to do other than eat, sleep, and breathe. Rafe's parents only viewed me as a baby-making machine, anyway, and nothing more than that. Although it was too soon to tell if I was pregnant or not.

Every week one of Rafe's maids would bring me a pregnancy test. She told me Mrs. Adler was insistent that I take the test and let her know the results at once. So that was my routine every Saturday. I would pee on the stupid stick, wait, and watch it turn out negative. Mrs. Adler was starting to grow frustrated, and was already scheduling me for more doctor's appointments to see what was "wrong" with me. My parents suggested that she just let nature take its course, but she was having none of that. As I said, to her I was just a potential incubator for her future grandchild. My womb was for rent, and damn was she trying to get Rafe to fill in the space. The constant pressure on Rafe to deliver was starting to wear him down as well. I honestly think that was why Rafe started spending so much time away from home so he could be away from his mother and the stress. I wish he would let me tag along so I could escape my wretched mother-in-law, too.

* * *

"Hey, you still with us?"

I shook myself out of my trance, only to find Sam staring at me as if I'd gone insane. This was the second time today I had blanked out and lost myself in my imagines. He probably thought I was losing it, and who knows, maybe I was.

"You've been very distracted today, you all right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered as earnestly as I could.

"Shh, we're getting close," Nate warned as he slowly drove the jeep down toward the ruins.

He parked by some high grass and climbed out, everyone followed suit. I reluctantly followed behind, praying to God that I could avoid running into Rafe this time around. I knew for a fact that our next meeting wouldn't be a pleasant one. The guys prowled around the grass like lions, scoping out how many Shoreline soldiers were stomping around the ruins. I did the same, keeping an eye out for any movement that wasn't our own.

I felt someone nudge me from behind. I glanced back to see Sam holding out a pistol toward me. I took the gun, feeling its cold frame in my hands. It was much heavier than I expected.

"You know how to use one?" He whispered.

I nodded, "I do, but it's been a while."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who is continuing to read the story, especially to those of you who leave feedback! I'll tone it down with the flashbacks soon. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

The grip on the Para .45 felt like ice instead of cold steel against my palm. I glazed my finger over the trigger anxiously as the four of us were hunched over in the tall grass, watching the Shoreline soldiers trample around the ruins. My eyes were pinned on the sniper, high up on the tower stoop. The red beam from the Mazur LDR shown down angrily on the plains, practically begging for a threat to come along in its field of view.

Sam tapped me on the shoulder, "you okay?" He asked in a low whisper.

I nodded, wiping the sweat building up on my upper lip, damn was it hot out. I wasn't really sure if I _was_ okay, so I didn't want to say it out loud. Killing wasn't something I think I could ever grow accustomed to (not that I've ever done it before), and I never wanted to get used to it. I know this was technically a self-defense situation, but the thought still weighed heavily on my soul.

"Follow me," Nate murmured, moving up swiftly, still shielded by the grass.

An unlucky Shoreline soldier with a red bandana happened to be wandering close toward our direction. He held his AK relaxed in his hands, letting the barrel dip limply as he carelessly strode around. Nate waited for the right opportunity, then stood up and snagged him from around the neck. The soldier barely had a moment to struggle before Nate twisted his neck effortlessly until a loud, audible SNAP sounded, and his head went limp. Nate let the body drop quietly, moving up to sneak attack another soldier.

Staring at the soldier any longer would've made me physically ill, so I moved on behind Nate, feeling increasingly uneasy about the entire situation. I was so lost in my own thoughts I almost walked right into one of the soldiers.

 _Shit!_

I swiped by leg all the way around to kick out his legs from under him (while still remaining crouch), he fell backward, landing roughly on his back. Before he could scream or use his weapon I curled my hands into a fist and punched him directly in the temple. I didn't kill him, but his lights were definitely knocked out. I glanced backward to find Sam gazing at me with his mouth hung open; his eyes were about the size of dinner plates. It would've been comical if we weren't in the middle of a (somewhat) warzone. I was so distracted by Sam I didn't notice Nate had been spotted by one of the soldiers right away.

Shouting from a foreign voice shook me from my girlish thoughts, followed by the startling sound of gunfire. Like the domino effect, all the other soldiers started blindly shooting at Nate. Sullivan and Sam sprung up to cover him. I peaked up over the grass; trying to count how many soldiers Nadine had prowling around this area. I could spot over ten easily, and more were most likely to start pouring in now that the alarm had been sounded. Once again, my one-track mind got a hold of me as a soldier came up behind me and swung the barrel of rifle at my head. The blow knocked my head forward, causing me to slump over in a daze while I struggled to get my bearings. I managed to move out of the way while the soldier went for a sloppy kick. I guess I was lucky that he wasn't using his gun.

The soldier lunged at me again, cocking back his gun for a physical blow. A wave of anger and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I caught the gun with the palms of both of my hands, my fingers wrapping around the barrel tightly. Using my hips and my body's momentum, I twisted the gun out of his hands. I gave the stunned soldier little time to react; I struck him with a sidekick right in his solar plexus, sending him falling backward. He gasped for breath in useless desperation, fighting to roll up to a sitting position. I dashed over to him, kneeing him right in the temple. I rushed away from him, keeping an eye out for more soldiers. Bullets shot at my feet, kicking up dirt and dust in my face. I ran toward cover of the ruins, sliding to a stop behind the decaying walls. Sam was nearby, I could hear him shouting above the gunfire. I glanced over my shoulder to find where he was, only to see a soldier had got him wrapped up from behind.

As if it were instinct I leapt up and sprinted toward Sam (who was currently having the oxygen snuffed out of his windpipe). I rammed into the soldier with my shoulder and forearm, making him release Sam.

"You piece of shit!" I screamed, punching the soldier in the gut. I keeled over, coughing spittle into the dirt. I took my chance and nailed him with a spinning hook kick on his cheek. There was no way he'd be waking up anytime soon.

Soo bahk do is a kicking art, and that's one thing I knew I was good that.

"Thanks for that," Sam croaked rubbing his neck, his voice hoarse from being strangled.

I smiled, panting slightly from the exertion of taking out two guys in a row. "I guess we're even now, huh?"

"Hey! Will you two quit flirting and get over here?" Sullivan called clearly agitated, taking cover behind one of the walls of the tower. Bullets pierced the debris by his head; he winced away from the close impact.

There was too much chaos to be mad at Sully at this moment. There were still enough soldiers to pin us down (and that annoying sniper and RPG). We were four people going against an army. I hoped one of the soldiers didn't recognize me, I didn't want one of them telling Rafe I was here.

Rafe… that was another issue I had to face, one that tore me up as much as Simmons…

* * *

 _11 years ago_

"We'll be dining with a lot of old friends tonight, so try your best to look presentable, and don't embarrass my son," Mrs. Adler lectured as she fussed over pinning my hair back into an elegant reverse tuck. She patted my swollen belly, softening her usual rigid appearance. Even in my condition she still was crass toward me, but at least her excitement for her unborn grandchild helped a bit.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Regina," I replied, biting back my sarcasm the best I could.

Mrs. Adler furrowed her brows at me, her lips stretched into slits. I studied myself looking into her vanity, frowning at my own reflection. She caked on the foundation (try as she might, my freckles would always show), and the smoky eye look was a little much.

There were a few hurried knocks on the door. "Hurry up, mother, we're going to be late," Rafe said through the door. He was already growing impatient and we weren't even at the gala yet.

The gala was going to be the usual type, same as all the other ones I've been dragged to since I've been married to Rafe. Rockefeller types bragging about their philanthropy work, or how they couldn't associate with so and so because they were "new money." The pettiness both bored and disgusted me. I spent most of my time clinging to Rafe, plastering smiles on my face to appear like I was the proud and happy wife to Rafe. I wasn't the most impressive girl he could have on his arms looks-wise, and I think he knew that.

I stood up slowly from the vanity chair, clutching my pregnant belly as my center of gravity changed from standing. Mrs. Adler assisted me to the door, noticing my conflict with doing simple things like standing. I couldn't wait for this baby to come out, only a few more weeks to go. I just prayed I would love the child. I promised myself I would be the most devoted mother I could be, even if this poor baby was conceived from an unfeeling marriage. I couldn't tell if Rafe was excited to be a dad or not, perhaps if neither of us were forced into this we'd feel differently.

I opened the door to find Rafe fixing the cuffs on his suit. I had to admit he did look sharp and handsome. I felt bloated in this maternity dress (which still clung too tightly around my abdomen) and unsteady in these heels that Mrs. Adler _insisted_ that I wear.

"You sure Dani should come along, mom? In her condition I think she should stay home and rest." Rafe wrapped his arm around mine to keep me from falling over. I agreed with him, but I said nothing.

"Nonsense, spouses are required to attend!" Mrs. Adler barked in that cross tone of hers. Whenever she spoke we knew that it was final, no arguing against it.

The actual gala when we arrived was just as dull as I originally imagined. The mansion was decorated in a Athenian theme, which I found overly flashy. The only thing to drink seemed to be wine and champagne, which I couldn't drink obviously, so I went along most of the night feeling terribly parched. Rafe walked me around, introducing me to members of the upper-class society that I would soon forget. We tried our best to act like a happily married couple, camouflaging our misery with talk of soon to be parental excitement. I felt dizzy from the whole experience; the onslaught of questions I was receiving was enough to make my heart start to palpitate.

What were we going to name the child?

Do you have a midwife?

Will it be a natural birth?

How long have you been taking prenatals?

Is Rafe excited to be a father?

I just grinned emotionlessly, nodding my head like a drone. Rafe appeared flustered by the questions as well. The truth was the two of us had no idea what we were going to do. We felt so unprepared. I mean, we had a nursery set up, but mentally we didn't feel ready at all. I was turning nineteen and Rafe was twenty-four and we were already readying ourselves for parenthood.

I felt the baby kick, as if in protest to these stupid questions. I clutched my stomach. "I'm feeling a little ill, I need a bathroom," I whispered to Rafe.

"Okay, I'll get one of the waitresses to escort you," he muttered back.

* * *

"Okay, I think that's the last of them," Sullivan commented, noting the silence in the air.

I took a few deep breaths, trying my best to calm my nerves. It wasn't the soldiers or getting shot at that had me so upset, it was those damn memories. The memories always found a way to creep back at times when it was most inconvenient.

 _Not that day, please anything but that day. You promised yourself you would never think about it again and let it go. Get ahold of yourself, Dani!_

"There's a sigil inside the tower," Nate said as he left the area.

"All that for a sigil? Goddamn, when are we going to start seeing some actual progress?" Sullivan grumbled.

I thought the same thing. I aired out my vest, growing sweaty from both the heat and the unpleasant flashbacks. I took out my phone, knowing what had to be done next. I went inside and snapped a picture of the sigil and sent it to my father (knowing that Simmons would see it anyway). I waited for the picture to send, growing irritated by how slow the service was out here.

I felt a hand enclose around my shoulder, making me jump and nearly drop my phone.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to startle you," Sam interjected apologetically.

"That's okay, I'm just a little shaken up from the gunfire. I'm not exactly used to this sort of thing," I said while stretching out my arms in a sweep of the area.

"Sure, that's understandable."

The two of us waited in awkward silence, both rubbing the back of our necks as we hastily thought of something to say.

"I just… wanted to thank you again for helping me back there. I know I've told you before but you're a good fighter."

I grinned genuinely, "You're welcome, Sam."

"Hey! Head to the jeep, we need to keep moving!" Nate called from outside.

"Yeah we should get a move on so we can beat Rafe and Shoreline there," Sam added, already heading toward the exit.

Rafe… don't remind me… that's another mess I will eventually have to stop running from and deal with. But seeing his face reminds me of such a depressing time in my life, and of _that_ dreadful day that has left such emptiness in me that I can't seem to fill.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much to everyone for reading, and to those who encouraged me to keep on writing! I was starting to have my doubts about finishing this story, but now I want to see it to the end. Just a heads up, rating will most likely change to M starting with the next chapter!**

* * *

Shoreline was everywhere! We'd already run into three separate squads scattered in hidden villages, and still we weren't at our destination. The jeep ride, the winch, the soldiers, and the terrain – it was all starting to wear down on us. The constant friction from the seat rubbing on my back (still healing from Simmons' lovely visit) was starting to irritate my skin. I said nothing, just sat back and tried not to appear like I was hurting.

"Sully, how well do you know Nadine?" Nate suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Why?" Sullivan asked incredulously.

"I was thinking, maybe you can contact her, convince her to call off her goons?"

Sullivan and I laughed grimly at the same time. There was no way in hell she would do that.

"Yeah, right," Sullivan replied.

"What if we promise her a bigger cut than Rafe?" Nate suggested.

"No, that's not how she operates. She's more of money up front mercenary. Rafe's got the advantage there."

Rafe… my stomach churned once again at the thought of facing him. I knew he would be royally pissed if he saw me again after our meeting in Scotland. Things didn't exactly "end" on good terms for us years ago, and I knew he was still bitter, as I was still sad and empty.

Some Shoreline trucks drove off in the distance, thankfully not noticing us from behind. Sam was worried about them searching all around here and finding the treasure. We drove through a field of flowers, and then started another dreaded trek up a hill to follow Shoreline toward the volcano. I had grown sullen as the guys talked about the past, trying to keep their mind off of pressing matters (like the giant army that was searching for us and the treasure).

Sam cleared his throat, "we need to cheer up the mood, so… a pirate walks into a bar…"

"Oh great, here we go," Sullivan droned.

"And he's got this steering wheel sticking out of his crotch."

"All right."

"So the bartender goes, 'hey man what's with the wheel?' And the pirate says back, 'arrrr! It's drivin' me nuts!'" Sam chuckled.

I burst out into laughter, being taken off guard. Sullivan groaned at the joke, but I couldn't help myself, I found it really funny.

"Hey, she liked the joke," Sam told Sullivan pointedly.

"That girl will laugh at whatever you say, Sam."

"Okay, I've got one," I added, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes (and ignoring Sullivan's comment). "It's not related to pirates, though, but it's just as bad."

"Okay, shoot," Sam said.

"What did the cannibal do after he dumped his girlfriend?" I paused, waiting to see if anyone would guess.

"Cannibal?" Sullivan glanced back at me from the front seat, making a face.

"What did he do?" Sam asked, a small grin forming at the corner of his lips.

"He wiped his ass."

Sam broke out into fits of laughter, and I couldn't help but join him. I heard Nate snicker from the front seat, and Sullivan groaned once again. He glanced back at me again, letting me know how much he distasted the joke.

"Jesus, I think that one was worse than the pirate one," he shook his head.

"Check it out," Nate interrupted, stopping the jeep in front of what appeared to be a small tower.

"What is it?" Sam asked no one in particular.

We climbed out of the jeep to get a better look. I took out my phone and snapped a picture and sent it to my father. I was a little nervous that he didn't reply to my last message yet. I just hope Simmons didn't hurt him or something.

Nate scribbled something down in his journal as Sullivan and Sam climbed the steps. I waited, placing my phone in my vest pocket, crossing my arms. All this poking around and we still weren't at the treasure. Hours of driving in Madagascar and all we found was a little tower. I just prayed this wasn't all that was out here. We climbed back into the jeep and continued our drive. Over the clay mound there was another tower, though this one appeared to be larger than the last. I snapped another photo, sending it off dutifully. This tower had a drawbridge next to it, and it seemed to be quite the hassle to climb up to it and get it to come down. We were all just thankful Shoreline wasn't here yet.

There was another sigil in the tower, but nothing else treasure related. We moved on as Nate climbed up to the drawbridge to lower it down for the jeep. I was starting to feel hopeful until I heard the sound of revving engines roaring from behind us.

Shoreline had arrived.

* * *

 _11 years ago_

I splashed water on my face, not caring if it ruined my makeup. The coolness felt wonderful on my skin, which felt like was overheated. I felt my forehead with the back of my hand while examining myself in the restroom mirror. I wondered if I was running a fever or if I was just overwhelmed. I placed my hands on my belly, which was sticking out far under my plum-colored dress. I felt some pain in my lower abdomen, it came and went in waves, but I had been ignoring it all night. My doctor told me false contractions were common, and that they felt similar to menstrual cramps. I had to present myself well for Rafe and his family's sake. They needed the positive image, especially if they wanted endorsements for that other store they were trying to get under construction out in California.

I leaned toward the counter of the sink, feeling nauseous again. My stomach had been upset since yesterday, and my frequent trips to the bathroom made that clear. I thought maybe I ate something rotten by mistake. Mrs. Adler gave me some antacids and told me I had to attend this gala no matter what. Rafe just couldn't be seen without his wife! It would be scandalous! Whatever, bitch.

I felt something strange erupt from inside my body, like something had popped inside of me. The sensation of fluids rushing from between my legs followed; for a moment I was mortified that I had peed myself. It was like a balloon popped inside of me along with a dam bursting. In panic, I glanced down to see a puddle of clear liquid on the floor, with little of trickles of blood mixed in it. I clutched my now fluid-soaked dress, feeling very frightened. I went for the door, trying not to slip on the now wet tile floor. I opened it a crack, hiding myself behind it. I saw a waitress and tried to subtly get her attention without hollering too loud. Thank the Lord that she spotted me.

"May I help you, miss?" She asked obediently.

"Can you please get my husband Rafe Adler for me? This is an emergency," I explained in an uneven voice.

"What's the problem?"

"I think my water just broke."

* * *

"You're doing great, just keep on breathing."

The nurse at the foot of the hospital bed kept telling me to breathe, and it was honestly getting on my nerves. She peered in between my spread legs, but wouldn't tell me what was going on down there. I just wish everyone would leave this room and leave me the HELL alone.

I took exaggerated breaths, feeling the pain of contractions rippling my abdomen all the way up my spine. I gritted my teeth as a really bad one shuddered inside me. I moaned in agony. I couldn't believe how sweaty I was, and how drained I already felt. Rafe stood beside me, his hand worriedly brought up to his mouth in thought. He was dressed in blue scrubs with one of those white caps on his gelled back head, like the nurses and midwife in the room. He paced around, his eyes staring off into nothing. I could tell he was scared, but at least he wasn't in _my_ place.

"How much longer is this going to be?" He asked the nurse, his tone slightly agitated.

"She's not fully dilated yet," the nurse answered matter-of-factly.

"She's been in labor for hours, isn't there something you can do?" He pressed.

"The two of you agreed to a natural birth I thought. Don't worry, this is one hundred percent normal," the nurse answered calmly. "She went into labor earlier than expected, but not too early, so she'll be fine."

The nurse patted my arm with her gloved hand, but I jerked back. I was sweaty, tired, and in a lot of pain. My mood was foul enough to where I felt I could scream my head off and take on anybody in the world. My crotch burned like coal as I could feel my pelvis practically being torn apart. I closed my eyes, continuing to breathe in short, lurching breaths. Another contraction rippled through me, making me arch my neck and cry out in pain. My anguished voice echoed through the entire room, making Rafe flinch.

"Get this goddamned child out of me!" I roared shrilly.

"You're not fully dilated yet, just keep breathing and nature will take care of the rest," the nurse replied. Her serene voice didn't make me feel calm, it got under my skin instead.

"Then pump me full of morphine, please, I'm begging you!" I wailed.

Rafe kneeled down beside me, "mom wants you to have a natural birth without any chemicals, or-"

I shot Rafe a deadly look. Just brining up Regina Adler twisted my insides in an angry knot. "Regina isn't the one giving birth here!"

Rafe appeared conflicted and definitely taken aback, I had never yelled at him before. He gave the nurse an angry look, as if he could place all the blame on her. Before he could say anything, I felt a great shift in my lower abdomen. I shrieked louder this time, getting the nurse's attention, and making Rafe practically jump up.

"Oh, looks like you're starting to dilate now. You'll be crowning soon. Let's get ready!"

I don't remember much of the actual birth process. I just remember yelling as I tried with every muscle in my body to push that baby out of me. My face had become red, the veins in my neck started to pop out, my hands fingers curled up from the pain. Rafe was watching everything, looking wobbly and terribly pale in the face. Breathe, push, breathe, push, breathe, push. The nurse sounded like a broken record, one that I was drowning out by the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

"I see the head, you're almost there, Danielle," the nurse encouraged.

I pushed hard, feeling my organs were going to rush out with the baby. After a final push, a great relief passed through me. I closed my eyes, my breathing still rapid, and my legs still spread. I took a moment to rest, feeling nothing really, just a dulling throb of labor and birth. How I felt as a mother? I didn't feel anything yet, and that's exactly what scared me. The sound of a high-pitched cry made me open my eyes, but I didn't turn my head. I could hear the sounds of voices and clangs of medical equipment mixed with the cries of a newborn. I heard Rafe's voice too, but he sounded so far away.

"It's a boy."

I still wasn't fully _there._ I didn't even realize the nurse was holding out the baby toward me.

"Would you like to hold your child?"

Now I dared a look, holding my breath. The soft, small child was placed in my arms. I gazed down at the child, once again holding my breath, but for a different reason.

"Oh my God…" I whispered in awe. This child was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. The baby grunted a few times, his little tiny fingers curled up. He was wrapped in a blanket, his eyes shut tightly. His face was so pink and round. Tears prickled behind my eyes while I stared down at the child, _my_ child.

Rafe stood beside me, his hands resting on the hospital bed. His grey-hazel eyes were wide as he studied the baby. He reached out his hand, somewhat shakily, toward the head of our child. He caressed him gently, unsure of what to do.

"What should we name him?" I asked in a breathless whisper.

"There were a few names my parents wanted," he started, knowing that I was going to protest, but he rose up his hand. "But there's one I actually liked: Holden."

"Holden," I repeated, testing the sound of the name on my lips. "Holden… I like that."

"Holden Cecil Adler," Rafe added; I swore a ghost of a smile was starting to spread across his lips. I made a face at the name Cecil. "What? You don't like my father's name?"

"Why don't we use my father's name? Your parents already got to choose the name Holden," I suggested (though I wasn't going to budge on this one).

"All right then, Holden Davis Adler it is."

* * *

The stupid Para .45 jammed at the worst possible moment. I was taking cover behind one of the stonewalls, getting hammered by bullets, and now I couldn't fire back. I slipped the magazine out right when a Shoreliner rounded the corner at me.

"Oh, fuck!" I swore, struggling to reload the gun, but the man was too fast. He was going to shoot me with his semi-automatic before I'd even have the time to finish reloading. But the man paused, his eyes widening in recognition.

"You're that freckle-faced bitch the Boss Lady was talking about," he muttered, more to himself than to me.

Freckle-faced bitch. Wow, how original.

"Drop the gun," he commanded, inching in closer and using the barrel of his weapon to whack me on the back of the wrist. He brought a mic clipped to his uniform up closer to his mouth. "Contact Nadine, tell her that she was right, that girl _is_ with them."

I clenched my fists in the dirt, casting him with the nastiest glare I could manage. If he didn't keep his eyes pinned on me then I would've taken him out before he could tattle. So stupid, now Nadine would inform Rafe that I was with the Drake brothers, and there would be even more hell to pay. Before the soldier could get a reply, a bullet punctured him directly on the side of his face. His neck jerked violently to his side, splattering blood all over me, and the ground where he now fell.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" I wiped my face in disgust.

Sam came jogging over to me as I continued to try to get the stranger's blood off of me as I picked up my gun.

"You doing okay? I saw that he had you pinned down."

"I was handling it just fine, thank you," I clipped, mad that I had gotten a crimson shower. It was so unsanitary.

Sam ignored my statement, "that was the last of them, Nate is lowering the bridge and Sully is already waiting in the truck, let's get a move on."

"Wait a minute," I grabbed Sam's bicep as he turned to leave. "That soldier just got the word out that I'm traveling with you guys."

Sam shrugged, "so?"

"So, remember that I told Rafe and Nadine back in Scotland that I didn't know you three, and that I wouldn't go after the treasure? Now he knows that it was a lie," I explained, my tone grave the more I thought about the situation.

Sam pondered a moment, realizing how that could be a major problem. "We just have to make sure we're not caught then. Sorry, Dani, I don't know much else to say."

I nodded, both of us now heading toward the jeep. I wanted to confess to him right then and there about Rafe and I, but I didn't want to stall our progress any longer. We'd run into enough snares out here as it was, like this drawbridge thing. We'd already been out here for hours, and I knew Simmons was going to start blowing up my phone soon if I didn't have anything new to update him on. I decided against revealing anything about my past, and just continued being mute for most of the drive.

Things had been going a little smoother for a while, until Nate used the winch on a tree to get up another slippery clay hill. A massive boulder stood in the middle, and I knew that it would be bad news once the jeep starting making its way upward. The rock started to tumble off the cliff, forcing the winch attached to our jeep to pull down with it. The jeep was ripped from the line, making flinging us off the cliff completely.

"Oh, shit!" Nate cried.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sam added, fear ringing clearly in his voice.

I grabbed the side of the vehicle for dear life as the jeep jerked, now suspended completely at ninety degrees, dangling only from the winch.

"Okay, don't panic!" Nate yelled, trying to accelerate the jeep slowly up the mountainside.

"I am very much panicking!" Sullivan snapped.

Rock debris started to rain down from the cliff; large pieces that could've easily knocked us from the cable missed the windshield by mere inches. A large piece did end up smashing into the front of the jeep, forcing the car back down. The sudden jerk from the cable catching up made Nate fall out of the driver's seat. His body fell onto mine, causing both of us to completely fall out of the jeep.

"Nathan!" Sam reached out and grabbed Nate's arm just in time, while I clung to Nate's legs for dear life. "I gotcha!"

"I'm going to fall!" I screamed as Nate and I swayed uneasily.

Sullivan reached back and grabbed Sam's other arm as support, "hold on tight, kids!"

Nate grabbed the back of the jeep by one of the railings, but struggled to climb up any further. I knew I was just dead weight pulling Nate down. I wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer, I could already feel my muscles began to tremble with strain.

"I'm not going to be able to hold on much longer!" I cried, my grip now slipping down toward Nate's ankles.

"Don't let go! I can climb up by the tire!" Nate starting to inch around the side of the jeep, but I could see his arms shaking from exertion.

"I'm just going to take you down with me!" I wailed. I didn't want Nate to fall to his death along with me. I was now heavily considering letting go just to end it here and now. Just like the cliff side in Scotland, part of me was drawn to how much easier everything would be this way.

"Hang on, Dani, I'll climb down and get you!" Sam turned fully around in his seat, extending his arms to reach me. "Just see if you can climb up a little further!"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can! Now come on!"

I reached up further on Nate's leg, gripping his pants as tightly as I could, but I was no climber and my body had reached its limit. While trying to climb higher toward Nate's hips I slipped. I screamed in terror as I started to free-fall down the mountainside; Nate threw down his grappling rope just in time for me to grab it, but even hanging onto that wouldn't last me long. My body jerked from being halted suddenly, my skin sliding against the rope made my hands light up, now raw and peeling.

"Holy shit, hang on!" Sam started to pull on the rope as Nate made his way into the driver's seat.

I clung desperately to the rope, wrapping my legs around for extra support. I went to climb up as Sam pulled on the rope, along with Sullivan. Eventually, through some miracle, I was pulled back onto the jeep. I was shaking so badly from fright that Sam had to hold me in place. Sam placed me in front of him, positioning my arms to wrap around one of the jeep's overhead railings, as he gripped it too.

"Okay, hang on!" Nate pressed on the accelerator slowly to head up the mountainside.

I was tucked under Sam's chin, close enough to feel his heart hammering rapidly in his chest.

 _"Hail Mary, full of grace_

 _Our Lord is with thee_

 _Blessed art thou among women,_

 _And blessed is the fruit of thy womb!"_

Sam uttered the Hail Mary prayer quickly. It had been about ten years since I sought solace in God, but now would be a good time to start again.

 _"Holy Mary, Mother of God,_

 _Pray for us sinners,_

 _Now and at the hour of our death_

 _Amen!"_

I continued the prayer, squinting my eyes shut as we ascended shakily up the mountainside. I heard Sullivan say something to Nate, but he sound of the tires skirting against the rocks drowned it out. When I opened my eyes again, we were back on top of the cliff, now next to the tree. I was still clinging to the railing for dear life. I now sat back in my seat, trying to steady my breathing and relax. The guys tried to make light of what just happened, but I was still trying to catch my breath.

"You doing okay? That was a close call," Sam said to me.

I nodded, "thanks for saving my life again." I reached out and took his hand to express my gratitude.

He glanced down at my hand, then at me, seeming a little flustered from the small gesture. His calloused fingers hesitated to wrap around my own, "sure, no problem."

* * *

After making it to one of the bigger towers, descending into it, blowing up a wall, going down a staircase, we finally were able to find a big clue. At a wall, basked in sunlight, was a beautifully carved state of Saint Dismas. I gazed up at the wall in amazement, taking out my phone to take a picture and send it to Simmons so he could see we weren't just dicking around out here in Madagascar.

"Come check this out," Sam called back to Nate and Sullivan who were lagging behind.

"Ah, Saint Dismas, we meet again," Nate commented.

"So, what have we got?" Sullivan asked.

"More sigils," Nate answered, his eyes landing on the wall on the side of the statue. "There's our boy Avery." He pointed to the skull and cross-boned sigil. "Thomas Tew, and that's um.."

"That's Adam Baldridge," Sam finished. "That's uh, Joseph Harrell, and that's Richard Want."

I placed my hands on my hips, beaming in admiration at Sam. He certainly knew his pirates. I snapped a few more photos of the sigils.

"Pirate captains," Nate added.

"All right, so maybe your pirate pool theory wasn't so ridiculous after all," Sam replied.

"All right so, uh… let's see, what do you think the trick is here?" Nate asked no one in particular. He started feeling the statue for a switch. "You gotta push a button, pull something?"

Nate and Sam continued to search the statue, until Sullivan told them to take a step back and see something. The layout on the wall ended up being a map.

"The trapezoid is obviously the volcano," Sullivan explained, "the crown is King's Bay."

I listened to them decipher the man, now realizing that all the sigils were meant to mark towers on the map. That was a total of twelve towers, and there was a good chance the treasure was in one of them. But with Shoreline and Rafe hot on our trail, we didn't have time to search each one. I crossed my arms now, seeing the dilemma (and another obstacle) that was now laying out before us. I noticed Sam kneel down beside me, picking up a cigarette from the ground. It was still lit.

"Uh, Sullivan? You didn't start smoking cigarette by any chance, did ya?"

"Looks like we're not the first ones here," Sullivan sighed.

"Shit…" I mumbled, glancing down at my phone. I had just gotten a message back from Simmons and my father when a sudden explosion destroyed the roof and sent debris falling down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Huge thank you to everyone that continues to read this story, and to those who take their time to review! I decided to update a little earlier than expected, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 _11 years ago_

I found myself really enjoying being a mother, more than I originally expected to. Holden kept me busy on quiet days when I'd normally be bored. I felt like I had found happiness in my dull life at last. Almost immediately after giving birth, Mrs. Adler had set up a personal trainer and nutrition plan for me to "get back into shape." She wouldn't dream of Rafe having an out of shape wife, oh no, that would be the worst thing _ever._ I didn't completely mind, I knew how heavily she depended on appearance. I didn't mind though, I enjoyed exercising and the food was good.

Along with the rest of the changes going on with my body, I noticed I had gone up two cup sizes; my old bras were very snug and uncomfortable now. My breasts had swelled since pregnancy as the hormones kicked in, and now I was easily fitting into a D cup. I knew Rafe noticed, some days I could catch him subtly looking. When he realized I spotted him his face would turn beet red and he'd quickly avert his eyes. I found that pretty silly considering we were married.

I sat in our spectacular marble kitchen, sitting on one of the bar stools, breast feeding Holden while I talked on the phone. I was talking to my cousin, the one who had that run in with Shoreline. My cousin is a weapon's dealer out in the Philippines; her usual customers were aiding treasure hunters and collectors for emergences. Nadine approached her to buy weapons to supply themselves for a civil war, but my cousin denied. Ever since then Nadine has been an enemy to our family. I'm sure there was more details to it than that, but my cousin never really talked about it.

"But really, you're married to a total yuppie."

I giggled, unable to help myself. My cousin always managed to make me laugh. I didn't have many friends growing up, but I always had my cousin to talk to. She never liked Rafe or the rest of the Adler family, she let me know that very early in Rafe and I's marriage.

"It's really not that bad," I answered, adjusting Holden's head.

"Not that bad? Are we talking about the same man here?"

"Yes, yes, it's just since Holden has been born things have gotten better. Rafe has been spending more time at home, trying to be a dad in his own, strange way."

"Uh-huh." She wasn't convinced.

"No, I'm serious. Whatever he's doing in Europe that's so important to him, it's nice to know that trying to make this family work could be a priority."

"That's the key word: _could."_

I sighed, shaking my head slightly, now holding the phone receiver between my shoulder and head. Holden was full, releasing of my breast and already nodding off to sleep with a hiccup. I buttoned up my shirt (which was now way too tight around my chest).

"I have to put Holden down for his nap, I'll call you later, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that, Dani."

"Ciao," I said before hanging up the phone.

I left the kitchen and climbed the red-carpeted steps of our grand staircase in our mansion. I wish this house wasn't so big, I felt like I had to walk a mile to get anywhere. I entered Holden's nursery, colored with soft pastel hues of blue, placing him gently down in his crib. I smiled lovingly down at him, listening to him breathe peacefully. I checked the baby monitors to make sure everything was working properly before leaving. I made it to the master bedroom, my skin prickling in anticipation for a shower. As I started to unbutton my shirt Rafe entered the room quickly. He appeared to be amped up about something. He removed his jacket and placed it on the coatrack. I watched him for a moment, wondering what had gotten him so hyper.

"I think we found a breakthrough in Europe," he explained, walking over to me. I could see the excitement in his eyes. "I'll have to fly over to see first thing in the morning."

I still had no idea what he had been working on overseas. I thought his main focus would be his family's next big store they were trying to get built in California. I knew his family did artifact collecting on the side (that's how our families became friends, and how my family started working for his). He rambled on about it; he had so much energy I wasn't really sure how to react.

"We should celebrate!" He exclaimed, gripping my arms.

"But I don't even know what we're celebrating," I told him, laughing slightly at his odd behavior.

Before I could say more he kissed me fully on the mouth. I know this may sound strange, but Rafe and I had never kissed before. He kissed me hastily and with enough force to almost make me fall over. His hand grabbed the back of my head, gripping a fistful of my hair, pulling it slightly. Saying I felt flustered was an understatement. I had been completely caught by surprise and wasn't sure how to react. He started to push his whole body against me, now I was walking backwards unable to tell where I was going. His other hand came up and groped at my breast, squeezing tight enough to make me wince. His hand explored passionately as I fell backwards onto our enormous bed.

I gawked up at him as his body mounted over mine, my eyes wide and my breathing shallow. I could feel my cheeks burning red from Rafe's _tenacity._ His hands gripped the front of my shirt, still a few buttons down (showing an ample view of cleavage, which I'm sure is what Rafe was going for). He gave a hearty tug, and just like that, all the buttons on my shirt had popped off, completely exposing my breasts and my stomach. By instinct I wanted to hurry and cover up, but I didn't move a muscle. He scooted me back, removing his long-sleeved shirt as fast as he could. His lips met mine again, this time more hurried and hungry. His lips worked against mine, his tongue now feeling like it was being crammed down my throat. His mouth now moved down to my chin, and started to trail down. My heart was hammering in my chest; my body was radiating heat and an unfamiliar vibration tingling down in my lower abdomen. Was it pleasure? I wasn't sure. Part of me understood Rafe's haste. We hadn't had sex since I found out I was pregnant, but when we did it was nothing like this.

His lips caressed the beginning swell of my breasts, and I sucked in desperately for air. I admit I felt very frightened and very shocked at what was happening, but at the same time I think I enjoyed it deep down. He pulled off my jeans and my underwear effortlessly, and did the same with his. I could feel his erection pressing against my inner thigh as his fingers slipped down and into me. I arched my back as he pulled out, letting out a low moan. He pinned my wrists down and lowered himself onto me, is lips meeting mine once again, and then trailed back down in between my breasts. He entered me fast enough for my breath to hitch. I moaned loud, and he did the same. His hips moved in a quick rhythm against mine. He had my legs straddled and my hands still against the sheets. He kissed me on the neck now, resting his chest onto mine, his hips still working on top of me. He sucked hungrily on my neck and I started to feel terribly dizzy. All of this had happened in such whirlwind and I felt like I couldn't keep up. The room swelled of sweat and sex, the only sounds I could hear was our own labored breathing and our moaning. This was a side of Rafe I had never been exposed to.

I had lost track of time and didn't know how long this episode of love making lasted. My conscious was somewhere else. I wasn't dragged back into reality until I felt Rafe's hot breath against my ear as he spoke to me. He was panting, but in his tone of voice I knew he was smiling.

"I'm going to make history, Dani. Just wait and see."

He rolled off of me and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. I only stared up at the ceiling, listening to the door close and the sound of the shower turning on.

* * *

I was winded; I can't even count how many Shoreline soldiers came rocketing through the roof. Explosions and weapons galore, blowing up this ancient place like it was World War II – I honestly don't know how the four of us survived, but we did. There was enough ammo and guns scattered around the stone floor for me to switch guns. That Para .45 hadn't been the same since it jammed.

Sam climbed on top of one of the Shoreline body's, checking him over for something.

"What are you doing?" Nate asked him.

"Just confirming a suspicion," Sam replied, "shit, look at this." He pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was an image of King's Bay with certain points circled in permanent marker.

"They figured out the towers too," Nate pointed out.

"Locations, sigils, the works," Sam sighed.

"So now what?" Sullivan asked.

"Now what? Now we're screwed."

I frowned, looking down at my phone at the unread messages.

 **Private number: I will give you a week to find that treasure or I am coming**

 **Father: Simmons may be headed your way be careful**

I sighed, slipping my phone back into my vest pocket. I hope we'd find this damned treasure within a week, or Simmons would give me my death sentence.

"Yes we do!"

Nate's voice broke my thoughts. I looked up to see Nate taking out the coin, holding it up toward one of the sigils.

"It's a match!"

"Are you sure, because it could be this one too," Sam pointed to another sigil. When the coin was flipped over it did look similar to that one as well.

"Crap," Nate groaned.

"Well still, two beats the hell out of twelve," Sullivan added.

"All right, I'm going to take this tower, you and Sully can take that one," Sam concluded.

"No-"

"He's right, we'll cover more ground if we split up," I interjected.

"They're right, these towers are at opposite ends of King's Bay," Sullivan agreed.

"I'll go with Sam," I volunteered.

Sam and I climbed into the jeep, adjusting the driver's side as Nate and Sullivan followed us out.

"If you two run into any trouble, call us all right?" Nate said.

"We'll keep in contact," I assured him.

Sam nodded, "see you soon." He put the jeep in gear and drove off.

* * *

I rested my arm on the jeep door, watching out on my side as Sam drove us through King's Bay. I couldn't get my mind off of Simmons and his eerie message. He was one that would say he would be coming soon but was already here, so for all I knew he could already be in Madagascar.

"Hey, you still with me?" Sam asked.

"Huh?"

Sam chuckled, "you do that a lot."

"Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind."

The two of us were quiet for a minute; Sam watched the road while I sat awkwardly with my hands in my lap.

"So, how long have you been in the treasure hunting business?" Sam questioned, breaking the silence.

"Since birth I guess. My parents were collectors for Adler's family before I was born. We were often hired by them to help unearth artifacts. I never really wanted this life, though, but I guess I'm pretty locked down into it," I explained with a tired shrug.

"What do you want to do, then?"

"I always wanted to be an orthopedist." I admitted. I don't know why it appealed to me, I just liked bones.

"Wow, really? That's quite a different career change then what you're doing now."

I nodded, "I was never allowed to choose my own career path, hell I wasn't even allowed to attend college. My family felt indebted to the Adler's, and now we're indebted to Simmons."

 _More like the Adler family OWNED me…_

"How did you end up not working for Rafe?" Sam asked, when I didn't answer right away he glanced back at me apologetically. "I'm sorry if I'm asking you so many questions, I'm just curious how you're not associated with him anymore."

"We just… had a falling out about ten years ago," I replied, not wanting to go into much detail. I wish I could tell Sam the truth that Rafe and I were married and about what _really_ happened to make us sever ties, but it was still far too raw and painful to speak about.

"Oh shit," Sam came halting the car to an abrupt stop. There was a large crowd of people gathered around, all blocking us from the tower (now plainly in sight). It looked like a market day. "Damn, I guess all of King's Bay came out to shop today." He parked the jeep and climbed out, "I guess we're walking."

As we made our way through the crowd, I thought more and more of Simmons. I decided to cave in and do what I had to do to protect myself. At the market I bought myself some hair dye and a pair of scissors, along with a purse to hold it in. It was questionable to sell this outside at a market of all places, but I was desperate. Once we got back to the hotel I'd do what needed to be done, but for now I tried to focus on the tower. Sam was oblivious to me wandering off to purchase anything; he was so narrowed on reaching the tower. Eventually we reached the front, and naturally it was locked. We made our way around and climbed in through a window that happened to be left ajar.

As we dropped down we were greeted with sigils and emptiness. Sam's phone was vibrating off the hook. He kept getting messages from Nate until finally he shut his phone off.

"I need to concentrate here," he said as he slid his phone into his pocket.

"I don't see anything," I stated, running my hand along the walls. There was plenty of dust, but nothing indicating a treasure was ever hidden here.

Sam looked around, his steps hasty. He was growing antsy, but I was afraid he was getting too excited just to be let down. There wasn't much in this tower but pillars, sigils, and some vines growing from the outside.

"Avery had to leave us something," Sam mumbled to himself, dusting off the pillars and glancing around them for a switch.

I took out my phone to text Nate to tell him that I thought we were at the wrong tower, when I noticed that I had another message from Simmons. My stomach sank down to my knees as I reluctantly opened the message. It was a picture.

It was a picture of Holden…

I dropped my phone, my hand slapping over my mouth to stifle a cry. It was one of the few pictures I had of him. It was taken when he was almost one, his little faced upturned toward the lens of the camera in a smile. I felt beyond sick, but not very surprised. Simmons liked to be cruel, but this… this was worse than the lashing he gave me. There was no message attached to it, not that there really needed to be. I got what he was telling me loud and clear. I picked up my phone, checked for any scratches, and slipped it back in my pocket as I tried to calmly compose myself. Luckily Sam was too preoccupied with finding a clue to notice anything.

We needed to find _something_ and do it fast. Simmons had already lost his patience.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this story! Your feedback inspires me to keep going!**

* * *

"Dammit, I thought for sure we'd find something in there," Sam huffed as he stepped outside of the tower. He placed his hands on his hips in agitation as he gazed up at the ivy growing upward on the building. He started texting Nate again on his phone.

I followed behind slowly, still in shock from what Simmons had done. Holden's picture was burned relentlessly into my memory. His grey eyes, somewhat sad and sleepy looking like his father's, the faintest touch of light freckles starting to show on his cheeks and nose, his dark brown hair starting to grow in and look thicker, his open-mouthed smile revealing baby teeth starting to grow from the gums. I took that picture with a disposal camera, catching his little infant-self unposed and happy. I had that picture stashed in one of my clothes drawers, hidden away. The fact that Simmons had sent it to me…

"Hey, Dani, you okay?"

I looked up to see Sam staring at me intently, his brows drawn in worriment. He had been talking to me and I hadn't heard a word of it.

"You look pretty shaken up," he commented.

"I'm fine," I assured him, but there was no confidence in my voice.

A phone call came in and Sam answered his cell excitedly, continuing a previous conversation him and his brother were having. "For God and liberty. Nathan, do you understand what this means?"

Sam's smile suddenly faded as I heard Nate say something inaudible from the other line. I tensed up, sensing something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Sam asked into the phone.

The sounds of tires screeching drew my attention to the street. Shoreline was here. Sam turned his head right as he heard the sound, too.

"Shit!" I cursed.

"Oh, shit!" Sam copied as he ducked his head to dodge some bullets. "C'mon, Dani, run!"

I stumbled forward in a blind panic, almost tripping as I gathered my footing. Bullets were striking the tower as the soldiers recklessly unloaded their gun's clips. I caught up to Sam following right on his heels as we booked it down the street. The jeeps revved up again and started to chase us down the street. We cut into an alley and hopped a chain fence to escape them. We were greeted with three massive trucks roaring around the corner, followed by more jeeps.

"They're going to kill us!" I cried sprinting away from the army of vehicles headed our way.

There was no way we were going to outrun any of these military-grade vehicles, they'd run us over in a heartbeat. We cut through as many alleys as we could, but the cars cut us off on the other sides of the streets, nearly running civilians over. Sam took my hand, yanking me forward.

"Look!" He pointed with his other hand at a man standing next to a motorcycle, appearing dumbstruck by the massive trucks making the streets look like a demolition derby. "We need that bike!"

Before I could open my mouth Sam shoved the man down, ripping the keys from his hands. The man barked at him in a forgien language as he struggled to get to his feet. Sam put the key in the ignition and turned it on.

"Hop on, Dani, we don't have time to stand around!"

I would have been reluctant to steal this stranger's motorcycle, but desperate times right? I climbed on hastily, wrapping my arms around Sam's torso as we sped off down the street. Sam rode downhill, and I swore I felt like I was going to fall off by the sheer speed we were traveling. I buried my head into his back, gritting my teeth as some of the men in the trucks and in the jeeps started firing at us. Sam expertly weaved the bike around the street as I dared a glance back to see them gaining on us.

"Move out of the way!" Sam screamed at the civilians; the streets were packed by confused people who were jumping narrowly out of the way to avoid a collision. Damn Shoreline didn't give a shit if they killed any of these innocent people.

Sam drove straight into a fence, nearly giving us whiplash. He cut downhill, driving off road and into the grass. Although we were out of the city, now we were out in the open. The trucks and jeeps launched down the hill after us, not even bothering to be cautious. Sam told me to hang on and did a sharp turn to the left, making dirt spin up in a geiser. He drove back on the road, cutting off a car and nearly getting us in an accident. He swerved a few more pedestriaions and now was driving on a bridge.

"Sam, they're still right behind us!" I yelled, looking back over my shoulder again to see that the damn trucks was still right on our asses. The soldiers continued to fire as Sam drove the bike as fast as it could possibly go. I took my pistol out of its holster, knowing my aim in this circumstance would be terrible, but I didn't have much of a choice. I blindly fired at Shoreline, missing pretty much all of the targets.

"Oh God, there's more trucks after us, and this one has a crane attached to it!" I gasped. We were still on the bridge, now driving over a large body of water. I fired a few more shots then gave up before I wasted more of my ammo.

"Just hang on, Dani!" Sam advised, yelling over the sounds of gunfire and engines.

The bridge ended and led us to a large stretch of mud in the countryside. I kept looking back wildly, seeing how more and more Shoreline vehicles joined in. I clung to Sam as tightly as I could, praying that we would somehow get out of this. Suddenly a Shoreline jeep flipped and exploded as some of the soldiers focused their attention on something by the truck with the crane.

"Sam, some of the 4x4's are blowing up!"

"Good riddance!"

There was Shoreline with their own motorcycles now trying to catch up to us. Sam kept on course (whatever our "course" was), trying his best to dodge the mayhem behind us. Vechiles kept on exploding behind us, keeping my attention. I saw someone standing up on the back of the truck, reloading a gun and shooting at Shoreline.

"Oh my God, I think that's Nate!" I shouted, hardly believing my eyes.

"What?! Nathan's here?" Sam replied bewildered. We drove through a marsh, hoping the change of terrain wouldn't slow us down. "Shit…" I heard him mutter shrilly.

The damn motorcycles were trying to surround us now, some fighting to gain speed to get ahead of us. They circled from behind us in a formation to attempt to box us in. One soldier on a bike steered right up beside us, trying to ram into us. He reached for me, but I tried to kick him away.

"Fuck off!" I hollered venomously.

He got a little wobbly on the bike, but didn't fall off much to my dismay. We crossed into a neighborhood as the sound of more crashing made me whip my head around. A jeep had driven straight through the formation of bikes, making them crash. I noticed that Nate was the one behind the wheel.

"Sam, look!" I shouted, getting his attention.

"Hey, brother!" Sam greeted, steering the bike to ride side-by-side with the jeep Nate was driving.

Bullets hitting the exterior of the 4x4 made us swerve away from each other.

"Get closer!" Nate yelled to us.

"I'm trying!" Sam hollered back. He led the bike back toward Nate. "Okay, okay-"

"Hop on!" We all shouted in unison.

"Sam, Dani, get in the goddamn car!" Nate demanded.

"I'm faster! Stop arguing!"

I saw Nate's eyes suddenly fly open wide. "Watch out!" He warned.

"Oh, shit!" Sam stepped on the brakes, making both of us lurch forward. A Shoreline truck was headed straight for us. The truck collided with Nate's jeep, sending it tumbling and flipping down the road.

"Oh my God, Nate! He's under the jeep!" I cried.

Sam stopped the bike, maneuvering his way around so we could go back for Nate. Some Shoreline came after us again, making Sam have to get off course from going to Nate. I watched helplessly as the jeep Nate was in started to catch on fire. Some of the soldiers were surrounding the jeep, getting off their bikes to inspect it. That damned armored truck drove right in Nate's area as Sam and I did. Sam braked and extended his hand to Nate, whom was on the ground (thankfully unharmed).

"Hop on!" Sam pulled Nate up.

Nate sat behind me, sandwiching me in between the two brothers. Nate grabbed onto me as I did the same to Sam as he sped off to outdrive the massive truck chasing us now.

"Gun it!" Nate screamed.

The torrent on the top of the truck started firing at us. We all instinctively ducked as the motorcycle made its way back into another town. This truck was out for blood and wasn't going to be taken down easily. I passed Nate my gun, knowing that he had better aim. He started firing at the truck as the bike made a jump, landing harshly on the grass. The downhill decent continued as we drove through a warehouse and through another alley.

"How we doin' back there?" Sam asked.

"Not good! Not good at all!" Nate replied shakily, still firing at the truck.

"It's not letting up, Sam!" I interjected fearfully.

We were now driving right through some kind of boat docking area, watching the truck drive right into things and destroying them. Sam told Nate to keep shooting, but how could a wimpy little pistol take out an armored vechile this strong?

"I hate this truck!" Nate yelled.

"Hang on!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, wrapping my arms tighter around Sam. Most of Sam and Nate's shouting were drowned out by gunfire and the truck crashing into things; the sounds of chaos pounded against my ear drums, making me feel dizzy and disoriented. I felt the bike start to dip, but I didn't dare open my eyes. A massive explosion followed by the bike stopping made me catch my breath again. Sam had drove us right under an eighteen-wheeler and made the Shoreline truck crash. We watched the fire break out, still sitting on the bike.

"Holy shit," Sam breathed.

"You said it," I sighed heavily, wiping my sweaty forehead with my trembling arm.

"Yeah…" Nate panted.

Sam chuckled in relief, "you guys good?"

I gave Sam a pat on the shoulder as an answer, unable to stop myself from smiling in relief along with the guys.

"Yeah," Nate answered.

Sam laughed again, though I could feel his heart still beating rapidly in his chest. "Let's get out of here." Sam drove us off, still laughing at our narrow escape.

* * *

Back at the Ikopa hotel, I went right into my room (next door to the guy's). Sully had joined us, and wanted to talk about new clues. I told them that I needed a rest and retired to my room. I studied myself in the mirror, seeing that I was covered in mud and sweat. I peeled off my dirty, sweaty clothes and dumped my purse and its purchased contents onto my bed, and took off my combat boots. I got into the shower, lathering myself in as much soap as I could. I washed my entire body, wanting to rid myself of the stink of this place. I was tired, and my head was still reeling from the motorcycle chase and Simmons' unpleasant message. I didn't bother to wash my hair, knowing what I had to do. I stepped out of the shower, toweling my naked body off as I went to the bed and picked up the scissors I had bought from the market earlier today. I went to face the mirror and started cutting. I watched without feeling as my wet long hair fell to the ground around my feet in matted clumps. I cut it to about my chin length bob, noticing that it was uneven (especially in the back). Despite my clean body I looked like a mess, my appearance completely disheveled.

I took the hair dye and started to apply it to my roots, all the way to the ending strands of my hair. I had always had light brown hair, but always imagined myself to look better with darker hair. I went for a dark shade of brown (almost black). I waited with the dye freshly in my hair, put on a robe, taking a step outside for a minute to escape the overpowering smell of dye. As I went out of my hotel room I saw a pretty blonde woman storming out of the guy's apartment, her eyes were filled with tears. She started to wave down a taxi. As she climbed into a taxi right as Sully came rushing out, trying to go after her. I sank back into my room, not wanting to be instrusive. Whatever was going on was not my business.

I rinsed out my hair and blow-dried it, and inspected myself in the mirror. I definitely looked cleaner, and the nearly black hair against my tanned complexion didn't look that bad. I removed the robe and put on a grey tank top and sweatpants andas I plugged my phone into the charger beside the hotel bed. I turned it face down, not wanting to think about Simmons or his messages right now.

Someone knocked on the door lightly. "It's me, Dani." I heard Sam's voice speak from behind. He sounded somewhat withdrawn.

"Come in, it's not locked," I called to him, not moving from my spot.

I heard the door open and close with a soft click, and heard his footsteps approach from behind me. I heard him stop suddenly, knowing that he probably noticed my changed appearance.

"Oh my God, what happened to your back?" He asked, alarmed. He rushed over to me, getting a better look at the grotesque scars. "This didn't happen from today, did it?" His finger just barely trailed down my shoulder-blade, sending delightful chills down my spine.

I turned to look at him, realizing that my shortened hair and tank top exposed some it almost completey. I held his gaze boldly, my eyes heavy from sleep depravation.

"Simmons…" I muttered; even his name tasted sour on my lips.

Sam reached out his hand, gently gripping a strand of my freshly dyed hair, twirling it in his hands to inspect it. "Is that the reason for this, too?" More chills…

"I was warned that me may be headed here soon, I figured disguising myself would help," I touched my cheek lightly, "although my complexion will most likely give me away." These damn freckles, there was no escaping them.

Sam sighed, staring at me sadly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He picked up the silver pair of scissors resting on the hotel comforter. "If you'd like I can even that up for you," he offered, nodding toward my terribly butchered hair.

"You know how to cut hair?" I asked him skeptically, raising a brow.

Sam chuckled, "yeah of course, I had to learn to do it in prison. Have a seat," he gestured to the bed.

I sat down, listening to the springs on the hotel mattress creak. Sam stood over me, examining my head with a masterful eye before he started cutting. I could hear the scissors snipping quietly; the only sound in the room other than my breathing. His close proximity was making my stomach flutter and my knees grow weak. He brushed some of the loose hair from my back, making yet another a tingle run down my spine. I bit my lip, swallowing the overwhelming sensation that Sam seemed to radiate. Why did he affect me this way? It was stupid.

"All done," he announced after a few minutes.

I stood up and took a look in the mirror as he sat on the bed, waiting to hear my critique. I turned my head, examinging his handiwork. It actually looked good, like _really_ good. I brushed my newly cut bangs out of my face, turning to face Sam with a gratified smile on my face.

"Thanks, Sam, it looks much better," I said graciously as I sat beside him.

"Of course."

I remembered the woman outside and Sully going after her. Sam seemed tense and preoccupied by something, so I assumed something went down next door. He kept staring off into nothing, his thoughts dragging him away.

"I saw a blonde woman outside leaving your hotel room," I started, my tone cautious as I felt I was treading into sensitive territory.

"That was Nate's wife. Nate had been lying to her about everything and she got pretty upset," Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger.

"He lied to her about this? I can't imagine lying to someone you care about that many weeks," I exclaimed aloud.

Sam appeared tight-lipped and slightly uncomfortable. The two of us sat in silence for a while until he glanced back at me. He looked like he wanted to say something but he changed his mind.

"Well, here's your scissors," Sam broke the silence, placing the scissors in my hands.

Instead of pulling away he lingered for a moment, resting his fingers on my palm. I curled my fingers around his, taking in the contrast of warmth from his hand and the cold from the metal scissors. Both of our eyes met and I swore although it sounds hokey, something _clicked._ We both gazed longingly at each other, not daring to move or say a word. The instant he started to gravitate toward me my breath hitched. I was too stunned to move - to nervous I would ruin this moment.

Sam hesitantly pressed his lips against mine, giving me a delicate kiss. He was testing to see how I would react, and honestly I didn't know _how_ I would react. He pulled away for a moment and then kissed me again, this time with more passion than the first. His lips moved against mine as my eyes fluttered closed. Warmth spread within my lower abdomen as Sam brought up his hand to lightly caress the side of my face. His calloused, rough fingers felt wonderful against my own skin. I started to kiss him back, parting my lips in initiation as my hands rested on his leg. Sam's kisses were sloppy, as I'm sure mine were, neither of us had done this kind of thing in awhile. This was different, but in a good way. The kissing became more heated; he tasted like nicotine and his scent was earthy. It excited me in ways I couldn't explain. Rafe had been my only, but when we made love it was dutiful and joyless (except for that one night eleven years ago). With Sam my emotions were heightened, and my body buzzed with a foreign sense of excitement. As Sam led me downward on the bed I started to tremble in anticipation.

I was in a whole different world.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for not updating in awhile! I was out of town for a martial arts tournament and ended up getting my finger broken at the tournament. With it being taped up to my other finger it makes it really hard to type, and cramps my hand up (that's also the reason for this chapter being shorter) I'll try my best to start updating regularly again. Thank you to everyone who continues to support this story!**

* * *

 _10 years ago_

"Run that by me again? No! I want that moved over there! I want them dropped there!" Rafe pulled his cellphone away from his ear to shout at the man lifting steel beams with a crane. He shoved his pointer finger in his ear to better hear whomever he was talking to on the other line.

I watched Rafe warily while carrying Holden, trying to keep him calm. I wish the three of us didn't have to be dragged all the way to the construction site. The noise and crowds made Holden fussy and gave me a headache. Being on the site made Rafe stressed and irritable, plus having his young son whining made him extra snippy. I coddled Holden, cursing Regina Adler for making us attend. I had to pee so bad my full bladder was making my lower abdomen ache horribly all the way up my gut.

"Mama, mama…" Holden whimpered, gazing up at me with his anxious grey eyes. The clangs of metal, beeping vehicles, and men shouting almost drowned him out. Even with the limited speech of a one year old I knew he was hungry.

I'd much rather be lounging in the hotel we were staying at. We were in California for Christ's sake, I should be at the beach with Holden; he loves water. I cursed my monster-in-law countlessly in my head, along with my full bladder. I couldn't take it any longer, if I waited I would piss all over myself and that would "embarrass" the Adler household. I walked over to Rafe, carrying Holden with me. Rafe was pacing around, switching back and forth between yelling into his cellphone and at the workers around us. He saw me coming toward him and cast me a look, warning me to leave him be. At this moment I didn't care, I had to relieve myself.

"Rafe, can you please take him for a minute?" I asked. He didn't hear me; he kept speaking angrily into his cellphone, "Rafe." I pressed again.

"Dani, can this wait?" He clipped.

I sighed in frustration, wanting to rip Rafe's phone from his hands. I would bring Holden in the bathroom, but that would be a hassle.

"I really have to use the bathroom, can you take Holden for a minute, please?"

"Really, Danielle?" He huffed, clearly annoyed.

" _Yes_ , Rafe, I've been holding it for hours," I handed Holden over to him; he took his son awkwardly from under the armpits. He'd been a dad for a year and he was still flustered about parenting.

Holden squirmed for a moment, muttering 'daddy' as Rafe adjusted his grip and put his cellphone away. Holden appeared fascinated by one of the forklifts in the distance, pointing at it with his little fingers, getting Rafe's attention. I smiled at the two of them and headed in the direction of the restroom (a nice roomy porta potty). I closed the doors behind me and waited for sweet relief to come. I admit I took a little longer in the bathroom then I needed to, I would've been in there longer if shouting from outside didn't erupt my privacy. I opened the door to see what the commotion is all about, and noticed Rafe speaking frantically to two workers, and that Holden wasn't with him. I walked over to them, already feeling a sense of panic set in.

"What's going on?" I asked in a hollow voice, glancing back and forth between Rafe and the construction workers.

"Listen, I had a very important call come in, so I put down Holden for a second, and when I turned around he was gone," Rafe spoke with a nervous jumble of words.

"You lost him?" My voice came out weak. "How could you-"

"He's around here somewhere, I just put him down for a minute," Rafe added quickly. I could see sweat already breaking out on his forehead.

"Oh my God…" I placed my hands on my temples, starting to feel terribly antsy. "I-I mean, how could you lose him? Why weren't you watching him, Rafe?" I couldn't help the shakiness in my voice.

"Dammit, Dani, we'll find him okay?" He suddenly erupted, gripping my shoulders a little too tightly.

A spark of maternal instinct mixed with anger must have crossed my face, because I saw Rafe appear a little taken aback, and he let go. I was angry with him, he let work get in the way of his family _again._ Now Holden was loose on a dangerous construction site. Despite my intense irritation my thoughts raced wildly, but I couldn't come up with a solid solution to finding Holden.

"Mr. and Mrs. Adler, I see your son!" One of the workers shouted from a few feet away, pointing ahead.

Sure enough, there was Holden several meters away. He was hobbling toward the forklift, his hands outstretched in wonderment. His chunky little infant legs led him directly under where the steel beams were being lifted… right onto the drop zone. Seeing Rafe's face drain into a sickly pallid color made my panic increase tenfold.

Rafe suddenly broke out into a run, dropping his phone. He waved his arms like a maniac. "HEY! DON'T DROP THOSE BEAMS!" Rafe screamed, still sprinting frantically toward Holden while trying to get the attention of the crane driver. Holden waddled along without a care in the world.

I ran after Rafe as the realization of impending doom dawned on me. I flapped my arms like a bird trying to take flight, trying with all my might to get the crane operator's attention.

"HOLDEN!" I bellowed shrilly.

Holden heard me; he stopped and turned to stare at me. He appeared curious as to why his parents were running at him and flinging their arms around. But he didn't try and walk back toward us; he remained in the same dangerous position.

"DON'T DROP THE BEAMS!" Rafe hollered again, dashing like mad, but the operator pushed the release button, not hearing us shout desperately at him.

Time slowed down as the crane dropped the steel beams. My breath hitched as I watched the beams fall and saw that Rafe was still running and wouldn't make it in time. Holden looked up last minute before disappearing and being buried under the debris.

* * *

I jolted up from bed. I was drenched in sweat as I labored to take shallow breaths. As the vision of the dark hotel room materialized I started to calm down, remembering where I was. I felt Sam's arm slung around my waist, and heard him breathing deeply in his sleep. I buried my face in my trembling hands, feeling the warmth of tears already stained on my cheeks. I kept my movement at a minimum, not wanting to wake up Sam. Explaining this to him would be impossible. A decade later and Holden's death still gripped me like a hand wringing my neck.

I ran my fingers through my newly cut hair, waiting for my heart rate to return to normal. Feeling Sam's arm on me gradually brought back all the memories of last night. I would've thought it was a dream if I didn't wake up next to him.

He had loved me with a perfect mixture of gentleness and rough lust. His lips had explored nearly every inch of my body (even in between my legs). His calloused hands felt incredible against my own softer skin. He didn't push me or pull my hair, or forced his tongue down my throat like Rafe did. No, Sam was different. This was what I assumed would be described as pleasure, it felt _good_ being with him, it felt natural. Rafe had been the only man I had ever been with so I didn't have much of a comparison, nor would I ever imagine myself having a one-night stand, but it didn't feel wrong.

Even with our love making last night my thoughts still were pinned on Holden, Simmons, and Rafe. Simmons was gaining on me; I could feel it, why else would he send me such a grim reminder? And Rafe… it was possible that one of the Shoreline soldier's ratted me out. If he found out I was here then that would be it. I didn't need another hassle with him and the Adler family.

The early sunrays crept through the window blinds, starting to flood my hotel room. Sleep escaped me, not that it was surprising after the dream I just had. I just laid in my bed, staring out the window and listening to Sam sleep. That was another thing Rafe didn't do after we had sex: he never spooned with me. Sam and I had remained embraced tightly together as the two of us drifted off to sleep. I could hear Nate's alarm clock droning next door for a moment. Nate and Sully would be waking up and realize Sam was missing. Great.

I delicately moved Sam's arm off of myself and got out of bed. I went to quickly gather my discarded clothes and went to put them on. I heard Sam rustling in the bed, sighing deeply in his sleep.

"Hey there," I heard Sam greet me dreamily. I was just picking up my bra and tank top from the floor.

I could feel blush heating up my face, almost bringing myself to cover up my naked body but I stopped. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. I smiled shyly at him as I started to put my bra on.

"Your brother and Victor are waking up now. We'll have to leave for a pier soon." I told him.

Sam kept his eyes on me, a sleepy smile spreading on his face.

"What?" I asked, smiling back. "You remembered to rent the boat right?"

"Of course," he replied confidently, sitting up to stretch. I noticed the hickies on his bird tattoo, sticking out like a sore thumb. I felt a rush of embarrassment again, knowing that it would be easily noticed.

"Let's not keep them waiting," I added, pulling my tank top over my head.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for not updating for a little time again, this stupid finger is making it really hard to type. I know it's a small injury, but it sure is annoying! I hope I can start updating at a quicker pace again. I can't thank all of you enough for reading and writing reviews! It really makes my day!**

 **Edit: I went back and changed Mr. Adler's name, I forgot that I already named him in a previous chapter!**

* * *

I watched Nate vigilantly, watching his head resting on his arm as it lolled from side to side along with the boat and the current. The fight he had with his wife the previous night was bad and he was feeling that crushing (more like suffocating) emotion that was regret. I wanted to go comfort him, but what could I say? I had a failed marriage myself, and my hubby was riding around with an army that would most likely kill me given the circumstance. All I could do was stare at Nate's slumping figure with furrowed brows, brushing my newly cut hair out of my face as the wind whipped it wildly around.

Sam drove the boat excitedly and oblivious to his brother's morose attitude, and my worriment. He would glance over his shoulder at me every once and a while, giving me a knowing grin as his eyes wandered (tastefully of course). I would return his smile, unable to control myself. It was a hot day out in the water, so I took advantage of the more summer appropriate wear that I packed and brought to Madagascar. Today was a heather grey biker tank with high-waisted shorts (I knew Sam liked what I was wearing). I wanted to talk to him about last night, but with Nate in earshot I didn't dare open my mouth.

I noticed Sam's eyes light up as he spotted something in the distance as he drove the boat.

"Nathan, Dani!"

"Yeah," Nate mumbled, turning his head toward Sam.

"Land ho."

Nate got up with little enthusiasm and went to stand beside his brother and I as we spotted the mountains of an island materialize in the distance.

"What do you think about that, huh?" Sam was thrilled, but Nate, not so much.

"That's pretty cool…" Nate averted his eyes.

"Take the wheel for a second," Sam told him, going straight for the cooler. "All this running around, surviving by the skin of our teeth, I don't think we've actually taken a moment to step back and appreciate just how far we've come." Sam took out three beers from the cooler, popped off the caps and tossed them in the ocean (I shot him a disapproving look for that), and handed Nate and I a beer.

I held it hesitantly in my hands, the chilliness from the bottle numbing my fingers. I wasn't a big fan of beer, but I wouldn't mind making a toast. Hell, we made it this far, and being this close means maybe Simmons will cut me some slack.

Sam held up his beer, " _sic parvis magna."_

 _"Sic parvis magna,"_ Nate and I repeated in unison, clinking the bottles together before taking a gulp.

Sam peered at Nate knowingly as he rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Listen little brother, she will get over it," Sam started.

I shot him another disapproving glance. Nate sighed, the discomfort on his face was as clear as crystal. I came from a failed marriage myself; I knew from first-hand experience that spouses don't get over things so easily.

"We bring back a treasure like that, anyone would," Sam continued.

"Sam…" I interjected softly, trying to cue him to stop talking.

Nate shook his head, appearing uncertain and unfazed by Sam's words, "I don't know… maybe I've done this one too many times."

Sam sat down, slightly defeated that his words didn't inspire Nate to uplift his spirits. I gave Nate a supportive tap on the shoulder, taking a sip of my beer (it tasted like watered down soap honestly). Nate shifted the boat into another gear and sped toward the island.

* * *

Hours of riding in a boat had brought us to an island that looked like it contained nothing but jungle. Nate and Sam would hop out every once in awhile to explore, but they hadn't found anything really seeming like a clue for Libertalia. All they found were old diary entries. I was beginning to grow bored and anxious, doing nothing but staring into the clear waters. Just seeing how blue the water was made me want to dive in and take a swim. I heard Sam climb back into the boat, heaving himself over the side almost effortlessly.

"I'm sure we're getting close," he assured me, reading my expression.

"I hope so," I replied, forcing myself to sound hopeful.

He stood beside me, his arms resting over the boat, "so, what now?"

I peered over at him, raising my eyebrows in surprise. At first I thought he was talking about Libertalia, then I realized what was really on his mind. I didn't know what to say, really, because I didn't know either.

I shrugged my bare shoulders, "keep doing what we're doing I guess."

Sam looked disgruntled by my answer, "what, that's it?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant. I mean, what do you think we should do?"

What experience did I have? It's not like Rafe and I actually dated before we married.

Sam didn't respond, he was thinking for an answer.

"Maybe we should wait to see where this goes after we find the treasure, and the threat of Simmons and Alcázar isn't hanging over our heads," I explained as I pointed to the both of us, "but I do want you to know that I like you a lot."

Sam chuckled softly, taking out a cigarette to light. "Judging by last night, I can tell."

I could feel hot blush spreading on my cheeks. Nate climbed onto the boat again, readying to go drive the boat around to another side of the island. I hid my face from him, as Sam smoked his cancer stick as casually as he could. Hopefully Nate wouldn't notice the awkward tension, but I'm sure he did.

Eventually Nate spotted a tower on the edge of a cliff. All of us climbed out of the boat and headed up the island to inspect it. The terrain was rough and overgrown, and the paths and wooden bridges that were built God knows when were in decay. As we finally reached the tower, I stared up at it.

"Looks like an old lookout tower," Sam commented as Nate jogged in the entrance. "Let's see if we can spot something from up there.

I waited at the bottom, watching Nate and Sam climb up. As I mentioned before, I was never much of a climber. By the time I would get a quarter of the way they'd already be making their way back down. I took the opportunity to (grudgingly) send Simmons a picture of the tower, and let him know of our progress. He hadn't texted me since he sent me the photo of Holden, and that worried me.

A loud 'clunk' and what sounding like ticking gears made me tear my eyes away from my phone. I gazed upward to see the top of the tower was rotating. Well, the brothers must've figured out something.

I slipped my phone in my shorts' pocket, trying to rid myself of the heavy feeling sitting unpleasantly in the pit of my stomach. I glanced guardedly behind me toward the entrance, half-expecting Simmons to waltz right through. It was a very childlike fear, but it gripped my mind and squeezed it until I started to sweat from actual fright. I almost called up to Sam and Nate to hurry down, but I wouldn't have an actual explanation as to why, 'because my imagination got me?' I kept my mouth shut, still jittery from absolutely nothing.

Nate and Sam grappled down from the rope and came back around the entrance. I nearly jumped out of my boots when Nate rounded the corner.

"Hey we found something, we got to head back to the boat," he paused, noticing me looking spooked, "you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, you just surprised me that's all," I reputed lamely.

"Ah sorry, c'mon let's head out."

* * *

I was _really_ getting tired of Avery's clues. We'd been following his clues from all around the world, and now we were literally following arrows hidden in the water and on the beaches. One eventually led us to a cave, which sparked some excitement in us (finally we were getting somewhere, like for real this time). Nate and Sam were climbing a large rock, which left me alone again. Sam felt bad, he offered to throw the rope down for me, but I declined. I told him I'm sure they'd be back down with the boat once Avery sends us on our way again. He wasn't sure how long they'd be gone, so I just told me to text me if they found anything really worthwhile. I would be there to bring the boat around, so I knew it would work out in the end.

I drove the boat out of the cave, but stayed close to the shore. I didn't like being by myself, when I was by myself with nothing to do, that's when my mind started to drift. After Holden died I entered a very dark stage, one I didn't think I would make it out of. When I was left in silence sometimes I could feel that familiar darkness creep back into my consciousness. I couldn't stop the flashbacks; they flooded in like a dam burst.

 _10 years ago_

Holden's coffin was just too damn small, that's what I remember most from his funeral. I was a sobbing, miserable mess that couldn't even speak on the behalf of my own son. My cousin (the arm's dealer) Sophie held me the entire time, stroking my back as my parents remained by my side. I had a black veil pulled down against my face, although masking the tears and my swollen face was impossible. Rafe had gotten up on the podium, his face white as a sheet and his eyes red-rimmed from sleeplessness and crying (though he never shed a tear in front of anyone). He spoke about Holden, though what he exactly said I couldn't recite. His voice was hollow and faraway, like someone was speaking for him from a microphone.

Holden was buried in a cemetery in upper Manhattan along with other deceased relatives of the Adler family. I would bring a fresh bouquet of flowers to his grave everyday, and that was the only time I would get out of bed and leave the mansion. Sophie told me going that much would only make me feel worse, and that my behavior was obsessive, but no one was getting through to me. I would go days without showering, I wouldn't change my clothes, comb my hair, or eat. In the first month I lost so much weight that my skin began to grow tight around my bones. I stopped training in soo bahk do, and I just stopped speaking with anyone almost completely. I slept (when I could sleep), and just let myself wither away. I think that's when the suicidal thoughts really started to plague my mind almost every minute of every day. I thought about different ways I could off myself: filling the bathtub and drowning, jumping off the mansion roof, downing all my prescribed medications at once, cutting myself with a steak knife, driving one of Rafe's expensive cars into a tree, hanging myself – just about every awful option crossed my mind. I had come really close a couple times, but Sophie had been there to stop me.

Sophie and Rafe that was a different story. The two despised each other, and would continuously bicker and even get into screaming matches with each other. The stress levels were tremendously high, and the Regina and Cecil Adler were not very fond of my cousin sticking around.

I was in bed (like most days) when Regina came into my room. She stood over me, her expression pitying and almost unimpressed. That woman barely had a compassionate bone in her body, and what she said to me that day proved it.

"Danielle, these past few weeks have been hell for all of us…"

Silence.

"But you need to snap out of whatever funk you've gotten yourself into and move on. Holden was a dear sweet boy, and he will be greatly missed, but you need to shape up and start being a wife to my son again."

I turned over in the bed to face her, aghast by what she had said. I couldn't believe this woman had the nerve to even speak to a grieving mother like that. I didn't reply, I only watched her with exhausted and lifeless eyes.

"Cecil and I need to be assure an heir after Rafe will be guaranteed, so you should consider-"

"What the hell are you saying to her?" My cousin cut in, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Dani just lost her fucking child, YOUR grandchild, and you're already telling her to have another kid?!"

Regina's silver eyes narrowed on her, "this does not concern you! Do not intervene in our family affairs! If you owned a business like we di-"

"Don't give me that shit!" Sophie spat venomously, "you never gave a shit about Dani! All you care about is your son having a child for profit reasons!" Sophie marched over to my bed and grabbed for my arm. "Come one, Dani, we're getting out of this hell hole."

"I am going to call security on you! I want you out of this house immediately!" Regina roared, jabbing a slender and wrinkled finger in her direction. "You were horrendous since the day you came to stay!"

Sophie was "escorted" away from the Adler household, she went and told my parents in detail about my dire situation, and that's exactly how things started to fall apart between the Adlers and my family.

* * *

Sam and Nate came swimming out of the cave, clearly enthusiastic about something they found. I had my arms resting on the side of the boat, looking sadly out into the water and at my own pathetic reflection. Ten years and I still can't totally shake the sadness deep down. Nate and Sam climbed into the boat, jabbering on excitedly to each other, and I didn't catch a word of it. My mind was so clouded with the painful memories that I couldn't even comprehend what was going on around me.

Sam's hand engulfed my shoulder, barely shaking me from my thoughts. "You all right, Dani?" Concern was written all over his face. "You seem really upset about something."

I couldn't tell him, I just couldn't. I haven't spoken to anyone about Holden, ever. The only people who knew about him were those who knew me personally.

"I'm just thinking about Simmons, that's all," I lied, though my tone was weak and not very reassuring.

Sam put an arm around me as Nate started to drive the boat away from the island.

"Don't be afraid of him, a statue of Avery is pointing right where the treasure is! We're so close, Dani, so close. Soon we'll be out of this mess," Sam explained, sounding as assuring as he could.

"Shoreline is trying to find it, too," I reminded him. I picked up on that much of the conversation at least. I glanced up at the sky, noticing the change in the air and the dark clouds rolling in. We had to get to that other island before the storm came in. "I'm sorry I don't seem very happy, I'll feel better once we find Libertalia for good."

Sam nodded solemnly to my response. "I can understand that, trust me."

I leaned my head against his chest, closing my eyes and letting the boat rock me into a sleepy trance. Sam appeared flustered by my sudden affection, but nothing felt more comfortable then this.

If I knew we would be separated and marooned in less than an hour, maybe I would've found something more comforting to say.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to everyone who continues to support this story! Reading your reviews means everything to me!**

* * *

Shoreline had found us and was trying to bomb our boat out of the water. The soldiers recklessly shot mines at our ship as Nate swerved and steered the best he could. The thunderstorm made waves pound against our boat as Sam and I shot at Shoreline. It was utter chaos, no other way to put it. I was knocked around the deck a few times, tumbling and slipping. Nate pressed the boat's accelerator, making Sam and I both slide back on the wet deck. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even realize Nate had fallen overboard until I heard Sam shouting his name. I gripped for the edge of the boat, pulling myself up to look over and into the water. Nate started to paddle back toward us when a large ship rammed right into our boat. Our boat was split in half in a violent explosion, throwing Sam and I into the unforgiving waters. My body grotesquely twisted under the current as it pulled against me. I squinted my eyes shut, trying my best to ignore the terrible sense of nausea that was clouding my head. I came up for air, coughing and gasping for breath. The heavy rain and flashes of lightning made it impossible for me to focus on anything. Nate had already been swept away, and now I couldn't find Sam anywhere.

"Sam…" I attempted to cry out, but my voice was drowned out by the storm. Another wave knocked me under the water, sending me tumbling in the depths. I felt my head hit something solid, blurring my already fading vision. While I was still underwater, I felt my arms brush up against the thick sand below – I knew I was close to the shore, even in my terribly disoriented state.

Sputtering up salt water, I pulled myself up, crawling onto the shore. I started to spit up seawater, letting my head rest against the damp sand and just relax for a moment. The explosions of boats and ships sounded so far away, as did the horrified shouting of men in distress. I heard some grunting a few feet from me; it sounded like two men struggling in a fight. I slowly opened my heavy eyelids to see the silhouette of a Shoreline soldier, and Sam.

 _Sam…_ I thought, dazed. I pushed myself up and stood, nearly falling over from how wobbly my legs felt.

The Shoreline soldier struck Sam with a harsh left hook, making Sam fall to the ground with a pained groan. The soldier kicked him in the stomach, as Sam curled up to block the strike. I started to gain my footing as I advanced toward the soldier, feeling my pace quicken in fear and my fists ball up in acrimony. Sam sloppily kicked out the soldier's legs out from under him, but the soldier only stumbled, and appeared even more enraged by what Sam tried to do. At least the soldier was so focused on poor Sam that he didn't realize I was only a foot away from him. I dashed toward him, kicking up sand and getting his attention. He turned to see me leaping in the air. I hit him with a knee strike right in his chest. He stumbled backward, the wind knocked out of him. I dashed at him again, letting all my bottled up fury from the past two days unleash. I thrust my pointed fingertips at the center of his throat, striking him with a spearhand. He clutched his throat, making terrible gagging noises. He fell to his knees, continuing to retch and rasp for air. I chambered up my leg and roundhouse kicked him with all my might. I watched his head spin from the impact, and his body slump to the sandy ground.

I watched the unconscious soldier for a moment, standing over him in triumph. The feeling of cold rain falling on my skin momentarily awakened me from my trance, as did the feeling of someone's presence standing behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Sam staring at me, his chest rising and falling from being out of breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. C'mon, we need to move more inland in case any more Shoreline soldiers land on the beach." He took my hand and led me deeper into the jungle of the island.

We kept running and didn't stop until we came upon a clearing, and what appeared to be the entrance to a shallow cave. We took shelter under the overpass of the cave, catching our breath. The storm was still blaring overhead, and our clothes were soaked and clinging to our shivering bodies. Sam removed his pistol, giving the water-logged gun a shake; he pulled out his phone and shook his head, it was a goner. I had lost mine when I went overboard; my only connection to Simmons was gone for good.

Sam started to remove his shirt, wringing it dry before he placed it on the cave ground.

"What are you doing? We need to look for Nate."

"There's no way we're going to find him while it's this dark out, plus with the storm," he gestured to the sky above.

I sighed, feeling afraid for Nate and frustrated that we were pinned down because of the storm and Shoreline. I walked a little deeper into the cave and sat down. I started wringing out my hair, still chilly in my wet clothes.

"You're going to catch a cold if you keep that on," Sam commented, nodding his head toward me. He sat beside me, still shirtless (not that I could see any of the "good stuff" while it was so dark out).

"Are you just trying to undress me?" I joked, though I wasn't feeling very lighthearted.

"Was it that obvious?" He chuckled, giving my shoulder a slight nudge. "No but really, you're going to get sick if you don't let your clothes dry."

"Geez, no need to twist my arm about it," I drawled sarcastically. I stood up and pulled off my tank top from over my head. I wrung it out the best I could and laid it beside Sam's discarded shirt. I still felt cold only being in a bra and pants now, but it did feel slightly better. I was still shivering visibly enough for Sam to notice.

"C'mere," he cooed softly. He wrapped his arms around me, trying to warm me up but honestly his body was cold too so nothing changed. Nonetheless, the closeness and intimacy calmed me; I could feel myself relax in his embrace. The two of us remained like that for a long time, still even when the thunder was booming overhead.

I heard him mumble something, but didn't quite catch it in my composed state.

"Huh?"

"I said, everything's going to be fine tomorrow," Sam repeated. "We'll find Nate and Libertalia."

I had my doubts, but bit my lip and said nothing. I just nestled myself even closer to him and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

I managed to sleep, but it was restless. I woke up every couple hours, forgetting where I was. Sam and I slept pressed together, but even having him for comfort didn't make the cave ground any softer. The air was freezing from the rain and cut through me like a blade. I had nothing to bundle up with, so I just curled myself up against Sam and trembled. My dreams offered me very little comfort, too. I kept seeing Holden and Simmons, reliving those horrible moments of my life. Even when the sun started to creep up over the horizon, I kept my eyes pressed shut. I didn't want to face the day. I'm not sure how much time I tried to go back to sleep, but Sam eventually started to stir and woke up. He left the embrace and stood up to get his shirt on again. I opened my eyes reluctantly, watching him pack up his things. The sun's rays shown into the cave, leaving long shadows cast against the walls. I'm not sure if it was because of my mood or not, but the shadows looked like giant monsters ready to devour me.

"We should start heading into the jungle. We can't let Shoreline get a head start," Sam suggested.

I raised my head and pushed myself up. My body and head felt like it weighed an extra 200 pounds. My body was so sore from being thrashed around in the boat and in the water. I gingerly put my tank top on, too tired to even say a word. I rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the brightness.

"We need to find Nathan," Sam added, his tone slightly antsy.

I followed him out of the cave, "do we even have the slightest clue where to look? I'm sure he'll try to head to Libertalia."

Sam was silent for a moment, which didn't give me very high hopes. "The island can't be that big, right?"

I scoffed, being careful stepping over a large root. The deeper we walked into the island, the more overgrown it became. Pretty soon we'd need a damn machete to cut through some of these vines and weeds. Following Sam blindly into an island we were marooned on didn't seem like the best option. We had no food, no water, no way to communicate to the outside world, a literal army was after us, Nate was missing, shit the list went on and on. Sam kept up the optimism, but I only took it at face value.

I thought about running into Rafe. He would be furious to see me, considering I told him in Scotland that I didn't know the Drake brothers, and he thought I went home after he "found" me. We didn't leave on good terms ten years ago and I believe he was still really raw about it.

What exactly happened was this:

My parents were worried about my mental state after Holden died. I had severe depression, was on some heavy medication, and saw a therapist once a week. All of this help and the Adler's constant badgering for me to get better wasn't helping. Rafe wasn't there emotionally; he just kind of went off and dealt with the grief his own way. We rarely spoke after Holden's death, and he was never home anymore. Sophia told my parents about my worsening condition, and even they tried to plea with the Adler's, but they refused to do anything.

I had given up on life at that point. My parents decided the only way to save me was if they cut all ties with the Adler family. My family had worked with the Adlers as their primary artifact experts since before I was born. They told the Adlers that they were done working for them, and took me away from New York and the Adler family.

Our family was literally in hiding from the Adlers, they made some pretty scary threats, but they never found us (or really tried that hard, I think). I never consoled Rafe or made any kind of peace with him. Part of me blamed him for what happened to Holden (maybe I still did), so never speaking to him again wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be.

I had managed to gradually rebuild my shambled life back together. It was far from perfect or ideal for how I wanted to live, but it was _something._ I thought I would be nearing the end to my road of recovery, but my father had to go get indebted to scum like Simmons, and I had to get mixed up with Rafe again. After seeing him a decade later made all those unspoken, buried feelings resurface. I thought this would be easier somehow, but now I realize I was gravely mistaken.

Now here I was trudging on an unknown island off of Madagascar, following Sam Drake AKA the big man on Rafe's shitlist, looking for a mythical pirate haven that may not even be real.

Sudden gunfire interrupted my doubtful thoughts. Instinctively I crouched down as Sam pulled out his pistol. There was shouting in a thick and foreign accent to our own. I knew immediately that it was Shoreline.

"Come on, let's take cover," Sam said, already heading toward a large palm-leaf-looking shrub.

I followed, still hunched in caution. I was prepared to fight back, but with Sam being the only one carrying a weapon on him I didn't like our chances. I thought of Nate running around out here on his own, running right into an ambush. Sam cocked his pistol, keeping his finger straight on the trigger. I stayed behind him, feeling useless and a little sick. The sound of rocks crumbling by a nearby ledge made both of us jump.

"Someone is climbing up," Sam whispered, his eyes sharp.

I said nothing, only kept my eyes on the drop off of the ledge. The crumbling grew louder as did the sound of someone exclaiming in surprise. Whoever was climbing up almost missed.

"Get ready," Sam mumbled, readying to leap out of the shrub.

I braced myself, balling up my fists defensively.

As the mystery man struggled over the ledge, Sam and I jumped out. Sam had his gun pointed as I got into a fighting stance. The man whipped out a pistol and pulled it at us. We all relaxed when we realized it was Nate.

Nate chuckled and lowered his gun; I relaxed my shoulders and returned to a more neutral stance.

"I nearly shot your head off," Sam sighed heavily, lowering his gun and re-holstering it.

"Sam, Dani, you're okay," Nate sighed in relief, sounding out of breath.

"Yeah, nothing we can't walk away from. Good to see you alive little brother," Sam patted Nate reassuringly on the shoulder, "c'mon, we got a treasure to find."

Nate and I both glanced at each other uncertainly.

Nate held up a hand in a 'pause' motion. "Look, man, what are we doing?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I mean our supplies are at the bottom of the Indian Ocean," Nate replied.

"Okay so we go steal some from Nadine's army," Sam stated simply.

"Yeah, then there's that, we're going up against an army," Nate retorted.

"We're holding our own so far-"

"While being marooned in the middle of nowhere," Nate added.

"We were _trying_ to get here, remember?" Nate countered.

"We had an escape plan."

Sam sighed in annoyance. Everything Nate said rang true. The odds were really against us.

"Sam, he has a point," I added softly, knowing that the conversation was already growing tense.

Sam glowered over at me as if I lost my mind. He was about to say something to me when Nate cleared his throat.

"Sam, just hear me out, crazy suggestion. Let's go down there and at least secure one of Rafe's boats," Nate gestured toward the direction of the shore.

"The boats can wait," Sam replied, his tone verging beyond frustration now.

Nate chuckled humorlessly.

Sam took a step closer to Nate, and I took a step forward as well (preparing myself if a fight they're having would start getting physical).

"Wanna know what we're doing here? We're buying Dani and I's life back, 'kay? We're going to do that by stepping into that jungle and finding Libertalia," Sam's tone sounded final.

I bit my lip at Sam's words. Our lives _did_ depend on finding this treasure, Sam was right about that, but I agreed with Nate. What the hell were we doing here?

"Have you seen any signs of a massive pirate colony? Because I sure the hell haven't!" Nate questioned, his tone growing irritated now.

"It's a little late to start developing doubts, dontcha think?"

"Look, can we at least acknowledge the chance that maybe Avery's idea for a secret pirate utopia didn't pan out-"

Sam scoffed as Nate and Sam started to get in each other's faces.

"-and maybe we're just swept up in this fantasy when instead we should be looking for a real way to save you and Dani," Nate looked over at me in support.

Sam was silent for a moment before he spoke, his voice was low and awfully serious.

"I'm going to scour this island inch-by-inch if I have to until I find that treasure. Now if you and Dani are confused about what you're doing here, then both of you can go home." He have him a small shove.

"Sam, please don't be like that," I reached out my hand to him, but he shrugged me away.

Nate did the same, "wait, wait, wait, I can _go home?_ Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what I put on the line to get you here?" Nate jabbed a finger at his brother's chest.

"How about what I put on the line? Or what Dani put on the line? The last fifteen years of my li-"

"This has nothing to do with that!" Nate interrupted, "and Dan-"

"It has everything to do with that!" Sam recoiled.

"Will you two just stop? Please?" I begged, feeling absolutely helpless.

"Dani, stay out of this," Sam warned.

Now it was _my_ turn to get angry. " 'Stay out of this'? Sam, this involves me, too! Nate brought up some very valid points, ones I have been questioning you on for the past day-"

"I'm just a little surprised that you'd take his side, that's all," Sam clipped.

Nate took a step around Sam, appearing as if he spotted something, grabbing both Sam and I's attention.

"What?" Sam asked.

Nate moved some vines away from some kind of stonework. "Holy crap," he said in awe as he brushed the dust away. It was Avery's sigil.

"Still want to go home?" Sam chuckled, looking at me.

"Let's just see what else we can find," Nate concluded.

I crossed my arms, still feeling underwhelmed by this "discovery." Sam saw my reluctance to follow and softened a little. Libertalia better be right around the corner or I may just call it quits for good.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to those who continue to read, review, and support this story, it really has come a long way! For those asking about my broken finger, it's almost healed now, thanks for your concern! I hope everyone enjoys xoxo**

* * *

I followed the guys reluctantly into the jungle, watching little critters run into the trees to hide themselves. I wish I could join them; I wanted nothing more than to hide from Rafe and Simmons, and the inevitability that I was going to run into both men on this Godforsaken island. We kept walking as I heard the two brothers talk excitedly amongst themselves, well _almost_ excitedly. I had the feeling Nate wasn't holding his breath about stumbling upon Libertalia. We climbed through what looked like was once the window of a house and continued our journey. I listened to the birds sing as I swatted bugs away from my face. Sam slowed his pace to walk beside me, and I felt myself stiffen.

"Feels good to find a clue, huh?" He said with a smile.

I smacked a fly that landed on my neck. "I guess. You know I don't want to be on this island."

Sam frowned, appearing taken aback by my dismissive attitude. I trudged along, my mood as icy as my expression.

"You can't tell me that you're not at least _a little_ bit excited to be on the right track again?"

I didn't answer. I only followed Nate's lead. I didn't want to tell him how afraid I was of Simmons and Rafe, and how angry the two men would be when they saw me again (both for different reasons of course).

"Whoa, hang on-" Sam gripped my arm gently to pull me aside. "This treasure is going to save our lives-"

"I know that, Sam," I interrupted, "but what if it doesn't? What if Simmons wants more, or if we run into Rafe and Shoreline? We're outgunned and-"

Sam shushed my calmly. "It's going to be all right, Dani." He attempted to pull me into a hug, but I backed away.

"Sam, up here," Nate called from a distance.

"Comin'!" Sam called back. He turned his attention back to me, looking a little wounded from my silent rejection. "Dani, I-"

"We can talk later," I dismissed, brushing past him. I felt bad for treating him this way, but I was in no mood for a confession (plus I was still steamed at him for the spat he had earlier).

We followed Nate up a wooden structure and across a beam overgrown with forestation, and down an opening. As we dropped into the wooden structure, it was apparent that this used to be part of a small house as well. We crawled in the dimness for a minute until we found a piece of caved in wood we could lift. The damned caved in house was like a maze. The whole experience was claustrophobic and awkward; Nate was doing most of the talking, as Sam and I were quiet. I tried to focus on the burning pain of my muscles from squatting this long than the forlorn expression on Sam's face. As we climbed out of the house (which ended up being a giant house), Nate pushed down a crate for us to climb up on. Sam was the first one to reach the top. I saw his jaw drop open.

"You're gonna wanna see this!"

Nate and I exchanged curious glances as we climbed on top of the crate. As we pulled ourselves up I could finally see what had stopped Sam in his tracks. What appeared to be an entire town built in between surrounded mountains lay before us. I heard Nate gasp as he took careful steps forward, staring in absolute awe. The three of us inched our way up, slowly as if we were afraid we'd wake up from a dream.

"What do ya see?" Sam whispered.

Nate's eyes swept the old pavement. "No houses, wide street, clearly a commercial district of some kind…" Nate mumbled, still entranced.

Sam chuckled. "Yes, thank you for that, Nathan. C'mon, what do you see?"

"You just want to hear me say it, don't ya?"

"Really wanna hear you say it."

"All right… Libertalia."

Sam chortled excitedly, grabbing both Nate and my arm. "Libertalia! The long lost legendary pirate utopia discovered after three hundred years by one Samuel Drake."

"And-"

"And his younger, slightly less charming brother who happened to be tagging along for the ride. Y'know, I always thought you'd make something of yourself one day."

Nate paused for a moment, "just so you know, this isn't my first lost city."

Sam shushed him, "just enjoy the moment."

"So, where do you want to-" Sam turned around to ask both Nate and I, but he stopped.

I stood beside Nate as I gazed at Libertalia, tears streaming down my cheeks. These weren't tears of joy, these were tears of fear, relief, guilt, and _maybe_ a teensy bit of joy. Discovering this city was only the first step, and I didn't have my phone to show Simmons how far we'd come.

"Dani, you okay?" Sam asked, his hand resting on my shoulder. "I didn't mean to exclude you from what I said, you helped discover-"

"No, it's not that," I replied quietly, wiping the tears from my cheeks, "I'm just surprised is all. Just thinking about Holden-"

"Holden? Who's Holden?" Sam interjected.

I froze, realizing the magnitude of the slip-up I just made. My lip trembled as I felt the heaviness from tears well behind my eyes again. This was all too much, I felt already like I was on the verge of a major break down, but doing it here after we made it this far seemed anti-climactic.

"It's nothing," I added quickly, hastily wiping tears from my cheeks, "let's just get down there and explore."

Nate glanced over at me, concerned. I ignored them both (feeling too self-conscious with them staring at me), and hopped down into the streets of Libertalia.

* * *

Holding off on my mental breakdown didn't last too long. As we were exploring the ghost town of Libertalia we were winding in and out of a lot of houses. Some of the old shops (or what we perceived to be shops) had upstairs lodgings where the families would live. As the guys when to look at monuments in the streets, I found a room that looked like it had once been a nursery for a baby or small child. As I walked carefully around the old wood floor, I stepped on something small and lumpy. I picked it up to see that it was a very old doll. Hundreds of years of erosion had done damage, it was so fragile parts of the limbs fell off in my hands. The doll was crudely sewn together with patches and button eyes, but the sentiment of love was still there.

That had been the final straw for me; I collapsed to my knees and wept. I clutched the doll to my chest as if it were a real child. Holden had a plush puppy that he slept with for comfort every night. I imagined that this little doll helped calm a child down hundreds of years before, and was a loved treasure. I couldn't take it.

After a few minutes I stayed inside the ancient house to compose myself. I didn't want Sam and Nate to see me in my vulnerable state. I couldn't talk about Holden, not to them, not to anyone. Talking about him only brought up the pain like an old wound that never healed properly. I knew my face would be red and my eyes swollen of evidence of crying, but maybe they would think it was from when we first discovered Libertalia.

I caught up with them outside, they were ready to head toward the massive building with the guard tower (presumed to be Avery's mansion), but there was some distance and drop offs that between it. We traveled underground, made our way back up, and had to swing across from a steep cliff side to get closer to our destination. It was scary, but we discovered more of the colony, hidden behind trees and uneven parts of the mountain. As we landed, we saw Shoreline stomping around one of the caved in buildings, we immediately took cover.

"Fuck…" I mumbled.

"Okay, we gotta spread out and take them down quietly, there's too many so we don't want to draw attention," Nate whispered, he glanced over at me, seeing his pity instantly made me become angry. "Dani, the drop offs are steep, and there's going to be a lot of jumping and climbing, do you th-"

"I'll be fine, I'm a pretty damned good fighter, remember?" I cut in, my tone venomous.

Nate's brows furrowed as Sam bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from a retort. I was just so fucking tired of this island, and running into Shoreline, and sticking out my neck to risk living just to get hurt by Simmons.

"Stick to cover from the overgrown leaves, we'll be fine…" Nate added slowly.

Be broke off, not straying too far but also not clumping together. We picked off Shoreline quietly one by one as we climbed higher into the decaying, wooden buildings.

I let my pent-up anger fuel my combat, but didn't fully unleash like a raging psychopath. I jumped and slid beneath one Shoreliner, kicking out his feet from under him. I stood up and leapt at him with a sidekick. As he fell backward, dropping his gun, I pummeled him with punches and hammerfists until I was certain he was down, then retreated back to cover. I was in no mood to take shit from anybody today. I made a rookie mistake and didn't notice another Shoreliner creeping up behind me.

"Fucking c$%#!" He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled back harshly. I could feel some strands being ripped from my scalp. He also made a rookie move, he chose to grab me instead of shoot me. Big mistake.

I spun toward my rear and elbowed him squarely in the nose, his grip loosen enough where I could kick him in his shins. He buckled to his knees, groaning in pain and irritation as he finally released my hair. I brought up my leg and front kicked him right at his chin. His head and neck whipped backward as he fell to the ground, but he still wasn't unconscious. I rammed my knees into him, now sitting on top of his torso. I chambered my fist back, bearing my teeth as I prepared to knock his light out.

The soldier laughed weakly, spitting up blood and a broken tooth as he did so.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, digging my kneecaps into his ribs.

He coughed instead of laughing this time, struggling under the discomfort I was causing him.

"You're Rafe's ol' bitch…" he sputtered, his tone so raspy I could barely understand him. He coughed again, more blood dribbled down his chin, "he's waiting for you."

I slapped him with my open palm, "don't lie to me, you bastard!" I roared at him.

"You think he doesn't know you're here?" He chortled again, this time strained, "it's no secret you're on the island with the Drake brothers."

I stood up abruptly. I lifted up my leg and stomped into his face with my combat boot, feeling his nose crunch to the left. Now he was unconscious (and with a broken nose). I wiped sweat off my face with a trembling arm, now feeling horrified knowing that the cat was out of the bag.

I went back into cover, finding more Shoreline soldiers to take down. Weeding out Shoreline was more strenuous and time consuming then we originally planned. There were dozens of them scattered throughout the area, and even with Sam and Nate taking them down, it still felt like our progress was stalled. It took about an hour to get rid of the Shoreliners in that particular area.

When we finally managed to make it to the large mansion-type building, we found that parts of the inside had also collapsed from years of wear. We had to swing on the rope to get across (something that I wasn't very fond of). I clung tightly to Sam as we swung across and toward an opening in the brick interior of the building.

As Nate climbed inside to what appeared to be a grand hallway, Sam took my wrist and gently gave me a tug to stop me. I pulled for a minute, but I didn't fully break his grip. He wanted to talk, but I wanted to avoid conflict.

"Dani, hold up for a minute."

"I sighed heavily, making it clear that I didn't want to talk.

"You've been really on edge today, and don't tell me that you're not because it's obvious. You've been crying on and off, your mood has been shaky, you absolutely _thrashed_ some of the soldiers back there-"

"What? You want me to take it _easy_ on Shoreline?" I interrupted, already getting defensive.

Sam waved my comment off, "something is bothering you, and whatever it is _is_ taking a toll-"

I stomped my foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum, "I'm fine, Sam! Jesus Christ! How many times do I have to tell you? I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I haven't gotten much sleep, and, and…" I got it, the perfect excuse that shuts down men easily, "I started my period."

"Oh," Sam said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "So… is that what's got you all… uh…"

"Are you two done?" Nate called from inside the fortress. "There's a huge staircase leading somewhere."

"Comin'!" Sam hollered back. "After you," he gestured for me to go on ahead.

Another crisis averted thanks to the Monthly Gift.

* * *

Getting inside was a spectacular view. Seeing the remains of a battle that took place hundreds of years before was mind-blowing, and seeing the giant canons placed in front of another entrance to the building gave us a pretty good idea of what was inside. Something very important was being kept inside here, something Avery and his fellow pirates wanted protected. We opened a door covered in gold to an area that looked like a library, or somewhere for bookkeeping. Fallen bookcases and scattered remains of debris made it look like this place had been swept clean.

The three of us went to work scouring the area for any clues left behind. Portraits of the pirate captains that were vandalized with the word "thief" left us scratching our heads. Something went down in Libertalia, but we weren't exactly sure yet. I

I picked some of the yellow flowers growing out of the cracked pavement, twisting the stems together to make a crown. I felt at peace for a brief moment since landing on this island, but was growing agitated that we'd hit another wall, again. The only thing worth keeping was an old treasure manifest that Nate had found, but nothing else. There was a sheet of paper _describing_ the treasure that was here, but still no legendary treasure. Just a bunch of empty cabinets, and skeletons of guards that have long since perished.

"Hey guys, check it out," Sam called, squatting on the ground as he investigated something.

"What do you got?" Nate asked.

Sam flipped a gold coin at Nate, "Libertalia money."

We inspected the coin, it was handcrafted with Avery's sigil, much like everything else around here. One scrap of gold wasn't even close to the equivalent of 400 million dollars.

"He must of melted down from gold, and made his own currency," Nate pointed out.

"So based on that and all the manifests on the shelves, the treasure was here," Sam explained. Even though the treasure wasn't here any longer, Sam still had that spark of excitement in him.

"So where is it now?" I wondered aloud, turning my poorly made flower crown in my hands.

Sam pondered for a minute, "okay so we know that there was fighting outside…"

"Then inside," Nate added.

"What, do you think the colonist stole it?" Sam questioned.

"I sure hope not…" I muttered.

"I dunno, maybe they were trying to reclaim what was theirs," Nate handed the coin back to Sam. "Look," he pointed to the vandalized portraits, "there's Avery, Tew, founders of Libertalia all marked with the word: thief. Not 'murderer', not 'tyrant'-"

"Thief," Sam said. "So by the time the colonist busted in here the treasure was already gone."

"Yeah because these guys had already taken it for themselves. Pirates will be pirates, right?"

"Yeah, pirates will be pirates," Sam echoed.

Now what? I waited for the brothers to say something more. We'd come this close, so the journey can't be over now, right?

"Huh… I know where they moved it," Sam said, having an epiphany.

"What? Where?" Nate questioned.

Sam pointed up. We both looked up at the ceiling, seeing an old painted mural at the top. I hadn't even noticed that was there.

"It's a map," Nate commented.

"Right there, that's our treasury," Sam pointed to one of the pictures of a large mansion nestled behind smaller houses.

"That's a map of Libertalia!"

"We just have to follow it to the other side of the island, right there. New Devon." Sam concluded.

"Avery was from Devon, England," Nate replied.

"Sure was. Man those are some seriously large mansions," Sam commented on the mural above.

"Each one has its own sigil, too."

"Because that's where they lived."

The two brothers chuckled as I waited to hear the final word. I had no idea what New Devon was, or how they were certain of all this, I was patiently waited and listened.

"Let's say we climb that watch tower," Nate pointed to one of the ways out of here.

"New Devon, here we come," Sam clapped me on the back.

"Ouch, watch the scars…" I mumbled.

"Sorry, I just got overly excited," he apologized.

"So, this is it? You two know exactly where the treasure is hidden? You're positive it moved to this 'New Devon' place and that there is a guarantee that it wasn't already stolen and brought off the island?" I interjected, feeling a little carried away.

"Well, there's never a guarantee, but given the evidence here it's our best bet." Sam replied, still holding the coin between his fingers. "We'll know as soon as we climb out of here."

"After you," I gestured.

* * *

We were having a "lovely" climb as we hiked to New Devon when an RPG nearly knocked Nate off the building. Shoreline had spotted us, and literally brought in the big guns. Sam and I called up to Nate as stone started to crumble around us. Some giant boulders nearly crushed Sam and I as we jumped out of the way and into cover. More explosions and crumbling buildings knocked us down.

"They really like blowing shit up, don't they?" Nate yelled from outside.

"Nathan! Down here!" Sam called from where we were standing at the bottom of the crumbling structure.

Nate started to make his way down as the building literally started to crash down on us. To make things worse, the wooden parts of the building had caught on fire. We raced down the stairs. My ears were still ringing from the explosions that I couldn't even hear what Sam or Nate were saying. An explosion sent Nate sailing downward as Sam and I were still making our way down.

"Nate!" I cried.

We hopped down after him and made sure he was okay, but we didn't make it very far. Another explosion from an RPG separated the floor from the rest of the structure. We started to slide down.

"Shit! Dani!" Sam grabbed my hand and threw the rope to catch on the falling building next to us.

I screamed as I felt myself free-fall for a terrible few seconds until we finally caught. Now the fallen building was lying across two mountain peaks, and we were dangling fright in sight of the soldiers holding RPGs.

"This is bad!" I wrapped myself around Sam's back as we swung out of the way of incoming missiles.

"Shoot at them, Nate!" Sam couldn't pull out his gun as he held both of us up. He started to climb up as Nate did the same, blindly firing at Shoreline.

"This is insane!" I screamed, looking down at Nate climbing up the rope. He was so far behind us, and Shoreline wasn't being conservative with their ammo as they fired at him.

On top of the falling building offered little support, everything was still caving down and falling. This makeshift "bridge" wouldn't hold us up much longer. We sprinted across, merely missing rocks, debris, and explosions as we ran blindly into the dust.

"Don't look down, don't stop!" Sam chanted in a panic repeatedly.

We stopped briefly to help Nate up as he took a flying leap as the rest of the building gave way. Shoreline opened fire again as we stopped to catch our breath, but damn Shoreline was being _extra_ relentless at this moment. We stopped at a door and rammed against it until it let us in. Sam and Nate used their shoulders, I kicked at it until it opened up.

"Keep running, don't stop!" Sam exclaimed as we ran to another closed off entrance.

"No shit, Sherlock!" I clipped back.

As we opened the next door, a grenade landed right at our feet. We all scrambled out of the way. The explosion left us dazed as we stood up, trying to find our bearings. The wooden structure gave way and Nate fell as Sam desperately reached out for him, but Nate was already sliding down a mudslide. I was so caught up watching Nate that I didn't realize that I was also standing on was also unstable. Sam started cursing out the Shoreliners who threw the grenade and was shooting at as I felt my foot break through the wood.

"Sam!" I cried in desperation, but I had already fallen all the way through and crashed down into the mud and slid down. I could hear Sam yelling after me, but I had already descending down the hill. The hill dropped off steep into the clouds so I had no choice but to leap toward a wooden frame that was jutting out the side of (oh wait, you guess it) collapsed building.

I pulled myself up with a groan. "Oh God, I hate climbing."

It took me forever to reach the top of the wood structure, but when I did I could hear arguing inside. I recognized the voices instantly: Sam, Nate, and Nadine… I tried to climb faster, but as I said, I've never been much of a climber. By the time I made it to the window they were already fighting. I peaked into the wooden house to see Nadine doing a spinning crescent kick to Sam, knocking him flat on his back.

"That's it," I muttered angrily to myself. I was SO FUCKING SICK OF SHORELINE, and that stupid message that one soldier gave me that Rafe was aware that I was on the island echoed fearfully inside my mind. I heaved myself into the window and charged at Nadine, glad she was distracted as she side kicked Nate into a table.

I struck the side of her head with a palm heel strike, crying out in satisfaction as I watched her stumble to the ground. She quickly got back onto her feet, shaking her head as her eyes adjusted. She glowered at me, and I glowered back, curling my muddy fingers into fists. Nate and Sam gained their bearings, both watching our silent stare-off from a safe distance. She stood up, brushing herself off as she began to circle me like a hawk.

I stepped back into an offensive stance, bringing up my fists. "You're dealing with me know, Nadine."


	15. Chapter 15

**Updated faster than I originally thought, I hope all of you enjoy xoxo**

 **Edit: Thank you ThatOneRedfield for pointing out Knot's name mistake, thanks!**

* * *

The two of us glared at each other for a moment, both breathing heavily until Nadine lunged forward first. She went for a haymaker, which was easy to telegraph. I stepped out of the way and countered with a roundhouse kick aimed at her lower back (right at the kidneys). She was prepared, she spun around and was trying her best to stay close and land some elbows and punches. Nadine was so hotheaded that she was throwing blind techniques at me. She spun around to perform another spinning crescent kick while I ducked it and followed up with a spinning hook kick.

She stumbled back, baring her teeth in irritation. "You think you're better than me?" She roared.

I said nothing; I only opened my palms and invited her to throw the next punch. The difference between us was I was professional trained in martial arts, she was taught more of a street fighting style.

She went for a front kick/roundhouse kick combo, which is also easily telegraphed. I blocked both kicks with my arms, reinforcing one behind the other. As she readied herself for a sidekick I bent over and snuck a scorpion kick right over my head, striking her right on the forehead. She grunted, dazed and frustrated. That was another thing; I beat her when it came to flexibility. Our stamina was evenly matched, because she lunged at me again, this time leaping while enclosing her fist. I tried to hit her with a spinning back kick, but she struck me on the shoulder blade. I fell forward but was quick on my feet to get up. As Nadine came at me again, I thrust my leg up, my foot over well my head and brought down my combat boot for an axe kick. Nadine tried to get out of the way, but I still caught her on the chest (I was aiming for her collarbone, which would of broke under the impact). I was so focused on the target that I missed her chambering her left hand for a punch. She got me right on the nose.

Now it was my turn to stumble back. I could feel the warm blood pouring out of my nostrils, running down past my chin, but I didn't have time to tend to it. I was starting to get angry now, and the sneer on Nadine's lips wasn't helping. Sam was on his hands and knees as he watched us fight, but I couldn't find Nate. Nadine used my distraction to try and hook kick my temple, but I blocked it and punched her leg down as she tried to bring it up again. Before I could land a palm heel I heard the sound of crashing wood from overhead.

"Nadine!" Nate came down with a punch, landing on top of Nadine and causing the wooden floor to crumble beneath our feet. All four of us fell through and landed on a stone cliff side.

I rolled to the edge, stopping myself with my boot before I completely fell over. I got to my feet and saw Nate crawling for Nadine's discarded pistol. She kicked him in the gut, but Sam got to it first.

"You're fast, but you're not that fast," Sam said, standing up and pointing the barrel of the gun at her.

"Hey forget about her, we got to get out of here before they-"

As if on cue, Rafe and more Shoreliners ran around the corner. My breath hitched as I saw Rafe, both of our eyes locking intensely. Sam caught Nadine around the neck with his forearm and pointed the gun at her temple. Rafe held up his gun, while Nadine's men (Knot and Orca) did the same. Nate told everyone to calm down, but the tensions were through the roof.

"Well, this is interesting," Rafe commented lightly, his eyes still on me, his expression unreadable. I could feel myself growing weak under his stare, just like I had ten years ago. I averted my eyes guiltily.

"Nate and Sam patrolling the island with my wife," Rafe laughed humorlessly. His eyes raked over me, meaning to cause ill harm with his words. He knew I was crumbling beneath his stare and this entire situation. At this point I was visibly shaking and I couldn't hide it.

Nate glanced over at me in disbelief while Sam still held onto Nadine (I couldn't see his expression). I clenched my eyes shut. My worst fears were realized, he was going to expose everything out in the open and in front of everyone.

"What?" Nate questioned in hushed astonishment.

"Darling, you didn't tell them?" Rafe pressed, oh he was enjoying this. "Danielle and I have been married for the last, what, twelve years?"

"We've been separated for ten years, Rafe!" I cut in shrilly.

He shrugged, still aiming his gun at us, "well, the marriage was never officially annulled, so we're still legally married, sweetheart."

"I thought you said your marriage was over!" Nadine interjected, her tone dangerous and raspy (from Sam's grasp on her neck).

"No, we're just estranged, but not by choice." Rafe responded, walking closer to us.

Sam's eyes were on me, practically begging that this wasn't true. I couldn't hold his gaze, it broke my heart too much. Nadine took the opportunity to elbow Sam and reach for the gun, the bullet shot off into the air but seeing Rafe and Nadine's men advance made him drop the gun. I was about to intervene but Nadine got the gun first, and we were terribly outnumbered so I stopped.

"Drop your gun," Rafe demanded, looking at Nate.

He obliged, his eyes on me. I glared at Rafe, knowing it was pointless. I wiped my bleeding nose with my forearm, wanting nothing more than to fling my blood over at him (as gross as it sounds I would have felt immense satisfaction from it).

"No, no, you see, Dani here left me ten years ago and was in hiding until recently," Rafe continuing explaining, "I couldn't even describe how surprised I was to see her in Scotland going after Avery's treasure as well. I should've known you were working with them, and fucking one of them too, am I right?"

"Rafe!" Sam warned, taking a bold stance forward.

How did he even know that? Rafe was very good at reading body language and situations, but he really hit the nail on the head. My cheeks burned hot with anger and embarrassment. I wonder if he had gathered that Intel from someone from Shoreline or God knows where. He was good at that, too. Rafe shrugged again, his gun lowered as he strolled around us, trying to assess the situation in his mild, cocky manner. I glowered at him, finding his tone unfair (considering him and Nadine being an item was quite obvious).

"You know exactly why I left-" I started.

Rafe held up a hand to stop me, "I'll deal with you later, Dani." Rafe replied evenly. He was now standing by Sam, eyeing him. Sam was much taller than him, and wasn't backing down. "Sam, I guess you knew this moment was coming, huh?" Rafe recoiled his hand holding the pistol, and struck him across the nose with it.

"Rafe!" I yelled. I got on my hands and knees to help Sam, gripping him by his shoulder to lift him and get a better look at his face.

"Hey, c'mon man!" Nate interjected as Rafe held the pistol up to his face to stop him. "You already got us, take it easy. Come one, you're a business man let's just work out a deal," Nate suggested.

"Oh a deal, oh yeah I'd love to hear what you have in mind!" Rafe replied as he stomped on Sam's face, knocking him to the ground again.

"RAFE!" I stood up and was about to hit him when Knot took a step forward with his rifle pointed at me. I lowered myself down again, now trying to tend to Sam's broken nose. It was busted at the bridge, leaving a mark and a trail of blood to match. I wasn't sure how much I could do, considering my nose was pretty screwed up too.

"You can go ahead, I'm listening," Rafe answered, shooting me a triumphant grin over his shoulder.

"You want to find Avery's treasure? We'll help you find it," Nate gave me an untrusting side-glance, and it tore me up inside. I guess I was excluded from this deal.

I helped Sam up to his feet as he held his nose in pain. I steadied his shoulders with my hands as he swayed back and forth. He seemed a little reluctant for my help, but he was in too much pain to protest. He kept his face buried in his calloused hands, not even bothering to look at Rafe.

"In exchange I let you live, and take Dani off your hands? You see, the misses and I have some unfinished business," Rafe added, giving me another mischievous look. I shot him the most wicked look I could manage.

Nate looked at me again, working his jaw in thought. "Yeah, that and a small cut." Rafe laughed at Nate's deal, I shot him another nasty look. "Just enough to buy their freedom, okay?" Nate finished, gesturing to the two of us.

"His freedom? I know about Dani owing Simmons, but Sam?" Rafe asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Nathan-" Sam began. I looked up at him, noticing that he appeared to be guilty about something.

"He did time, our time. The guy who broke him out, Hector Alcázar, he owes him a lot of money." Nate explained, gesturing to his desperate looking older brother.

"Whoa, what the hell are you talking about, Nate? Hector Alcázar died in a shootout in Argentina like six months ago," Rafe chuckled, "I'm the one who got Samuel out."

My jaw dropped as I glanced over at Sam in astonishment. He kept his head bowed as Nate did the same. My heart began to speed up in my chest. There was no way that could be true, no, no way. I wouldn't accept it. My life was being threatened by the madman Louis Simmons to find this treasure, and so was Sam's. Right? He wouldn't lie about that and actually try to take most of the cut to pay back a dead man when my life was actually at risk. Right?

"Oh, wow. What did he tell you two?" Rafe asked, the shit-eating grin on his face spreading wider and wider. "Sam? What kind of story did you cook up? Alcázar? Really? You lied to your baby brother, and your love toy here?" Rafe pestered Sam in a cynically playful tone.

Sam averted his eyes to the ground, looking like he'd be crushed under the weight of his guilt. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest now I swear it could be seen from under my tank top. My chest felt like it was closing up as my eyes began to well up with tears. I started backing away from Sam, shaking my head in silent disbelief. No, it just couldn't be true.

"We're wasting time here!" Nadine shouted.

"Wait just a second!" Rafe barked, turning his attention back to us. "The thing is, Nate, I never stopped looking for Avery's treasure, and I just kept running into these dead ends. Then I hear that our dear old friend Samuel Drake, an authority in Avery is alive, and somewhat well. There was no breakout, I bribed the prison warden, and your brother he just waltzed right out the front gate. We spent the last two years tracking down the second Saint Dismas cross. And you know what? He did it all with me?"

"You're lying…" I piped up, the words choking up in my throat. Rafe shook his head, the grin still plastered on his face.

"No… that's bullshit…" Nate added.

"Sam? Care to refute?" Rafe asked.

Sam looked at us with heavy eyes, "Nate… Dani…"

Now Nate was backing away, "no, Jesus, no… no…" He looked over at me and shook his head. Nate had been lied to by the both of us.

"That treasure was ours, it was always ours-" Sam started, reaching out his hands for his brother and me. I continued to step back away from him as Nate pushed him away.

"I left my life for you!" Nate yelled.

I wiped my tears, now intermingling with my bleeding nose, "you lied about your life being in danger…"

"You lied about being married to Rafe," Sam countered, though his tone wasn't rude.

"I didn't lie, I just didn't bring it up! _MY_ life is actually in danger and you lied about owing the treasure to someone else? How could you do this to me, Sam!" I cried. "If Simmons catches me I will be dead! What about my freedom?"

Rafe laughed lightheartedly and clapped his hands together in amusement. "We're just clearing the air today, aren't we? Hey look, Nate, Danielle, if it's any consolation, he duped me, too. He pulled a Houdini on me, he brought you, and managed to seduce my wife somehow, and that old man back in the mix, and I cannot lie Sam, that _really_ pissed me off. Well, it's all behind us now."

"You don't deserve it," Sam nearly whispered to Rafe, his tone menacing.

"You do? Last I checked we're all a bunch of thieves digging around where we shouldn't."

"Rafe?" Nadine interrupted.

"What?"

"One way or another end it, or I will." She replied in a deadly, low voice.

"Well you heard the lady. Nadine, be a dear and fetch my wife for me," he ordered Nadine nonchalantly.

Before I could react Nadine kicked behind the bend of my knee, brining me down to the ground. She wrestled me back toward her men with the gun pointed at my temple. In the middle of this Rafe held up the pistol at Sam.

"Hey, you miss one clue and you can kiss that treasure goodbye," Nate warned, "you said it yourself, you keep running into dead ends, why don't you face it, Rafe, you need us."

"Eh, you're right," Rafe lowered his gun. "Well you're half right, I just need Sam." Rafe rose his gun at Nate.

Sam ran out in front of his brother right as he pulled the trigger, I went to run at them but Nadine tightened her hold on me. Sam bumped into Nate, taking the bullet in his left shoulder. Nate fell backward off the cliff side.

"NATE!" I screamed.

"NATHAN!" Sam also screamed, trying to reach for his brother.

I struggled again, and Nadine dug the barrel of the gun into my skin. "Give me an excuse," she whispered harshly into my ear.

* * *

We started to scour the rest of the island, with Rafe forcing Sam to lead at gunpoint. I was grimly being led by Nadine, who grasped my bicep tight enough to leave bruises from her fingertips. I couldn't even stomach to look at Sam, and he didn't even try to look back at me. My legs felt like Jell-O and my heart felt heavy with grief. I had been betrayed by someone I cared deeply about, and Nate could be dead or seriously wounded. On top of all that Simmons could be anywhere, waiting for the right moment to strike and ambush me (I still haven't found the treasure or kept in contact with him, so he'd be in a murderous rage I'm sure).

I stumbled for a moment, nearly falling over. My bloody nose was starting to make me lightheaded. Nadine yanked me up harshly as the rest of the team slowed down to see what the commotion was about. The joints in my arm screamed in agony from Nadine pulling on them, but I did nothing. It wasn't even worth fighting any longer, I was already a dead woman anyway.

"Whoa, hang on there, Nadine," Rafe called, "let me handle her."

My eyelids drooped from heaviness, but I kept my eyes pinned on Rafe, not trusting a single move he made. He took out a piece of cloth and started to reach for my face, I leaned back.

"Will you calm down, Danielle? I'm trying to help you out here," Rafe gripped the back of my head gently so I couldn't lean back any further. I pressed the cloth to my nose and started to clean up the blood.

"Don't try to play the good husband act," I muttered venomously, but the cloth muffled most of my words.

"You're the one who left, remember?" Rafe replied, still cleaning my face.

"You were going to let Simmons kill me, I had no choice but to team up with the Drake brothers."

Rafe removed the cloth, and cupped my chin and tilted my head up to inspect if he got most of the blood. "There were other options, you know that, and sleeping with Sam wasn't really necessary."

"Neither is sleeping with Nadine," I mumbled.

Rafe studied me for a moment, looking unimpressed with me. He already knew that he had bettered us and won. I could see Sam staring at us from the front of the group, his expression forlorn and tired as Orca kept a rifle at the square of his back. This was quite a shitty conversation to have right in front of him, but Rafe wasn't one to be discreet.

"Touché," he finally said, releasing my chin.

"You know why I left." I added, my voice filled with contempt.

Rafe froze a moment, I could see a spark of unwanted interest in his dull eyes, "not here, Dani."

"It was perfectly justified for me to leave you, Rafe, and I'm sorry if it caused you pain, but I couldn't stand another minute in that house-"

"Danielle-" Rafe turned away from me, his tone on edge.

But I didn't let it go, I kept on advancing. "After what happened to Holden I couldn't live there any longer. There was no one to comfort me after he died, and for years-"

"Don't bring him up!" Rafe whipped around and pushed my backside against a tree. I was completely taken off guard, and shocked my his sudden aggression. He had never physically pushed me or anything before. I grasped the bark of the tree with my hands down by my sides, hanging onto it for dear others looked startled from Rafe's reaction, but didn't dare to move a muscle.

"You think I don't lie wide awake at night thinking about him? Or that I don't care? For years I blamed myself for what happened to Holden, and you running from me didn't help with things between me and my family." Rafe was furious, and his face was inches from mine, starting to turn red from strain.

I gazed up at him fearfully, trapped from the trunk of the tree. My mouth was far too dry to speak.

"He was my son, too, Danielle, and Goddammit, this treasure was the only thing I had after he died!" He leaned in very close now, our noses almost touching. "Nothing is going to come between me and that treasure, not even you, do you understand?"

I nodded hastily, not even realizing that I had started crying again. Rafe left me and told everyone to get a move on again, but I found myself frozen to the tree. Nadine ordered me to move but I still couldn't will my limbs out of submission. I was stupid to bring up Holden at a time like this, so I deserved what was coming to me.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, everyone! It's been awhile! As promised, here's the next chapter! I'm sorry it's not very long. I intended for it to be longer, but I decided to hold off for the more in depth details until the next chapter. Thank you to everyone for being so patient and continuing to support this story. I hope you all enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 _10 years ago_

The morning sun just started to peek through our bedroom's drawn curtains, and I had already formed a headache in anticipation of today's planned events. I lay with my back facing away from the bedroom door, Rafe, and the usual sounds of hustle and bustle from the maids outside. Rafe sat at the foot of the bed, buttoning up his white undershirt, contemplating something to himself. Another vibration erupted from under the pillow I was lying on. My cousin had been texting me nonstop all morning, so I had shoved my phone under the pillow to muffle out the sound of incoming messages. I couldn't risk Rafe asking or reading the messages, if any of the Adler's found out then the plan would be ruined. I held my breath every time my phone buzzed in the silent room, afraid Rafe would hear it and catch on.

This was supposed to be day I was going to run away and escape.

I bit my lip, trying to calm myself so I wouldn't act too out of the ordinary, and trying to ignore of aching feeling within my pelvis from having yet _another_ round of rough morning sex with Rafe. I'm not sure if Rafe's sudden sensual appetite was from Regina's request to have more grandchildren or a way for him to temporarily escape the pain. He was distant with me, just as I had been the past two months since Holden's death. We barely spoke or even saw each other. The only time we were ever truly together was when Rafe was in the mood. Our shell-of-a-marriage which was fragile to begin with had finally broke for good. We both knew this, but neither of us said a word. When Rafe entered the room, I knew what he had come for and I didn't have the energy to refuse or accept. I would spread my legs and that would be the initiation of our silent conversations. To be honest the sex temporarily numbed the pain for me, too. Anything to keep my mind off of Holden was welcoming in my book.

"I am leaving for Scotland again today. Expect me back on Thursday," Rafe said curtly, standing up from the bed. He went over to the closet and put on the rest of his attire.

I felt the bed give slightly as the weight shifted. I finally turned to look at him, uncaring if the bed comforter draped around me fell loose from my naked body. Rafe ran a hand through his tousled bedhead, giving me a strange look I couldn't place. It was as if he _knew_ I was leaving for good. We stared at each other for a long while until he finally made his way around the bed to me. Rafe kissed me on the mouth, taking me off guard. It felt forced like he was fulfilling an obligation for someone else. He pulled away, that strange look still on his face.

"Call me if you need me," Rafe said before turning to leave.

I sat on the bed in silence, watching my husband leave out the door for probably the last time. After about five minutes I took my phone out from under my pillow and peered out the window to make sure he had left. I didn't see his Audi parked in the driveway so I assume he had already left for the airport. I had ten missed messages from Sophie, who was starting to become panicked.

 **Me: Sorry Rafe just left**

 **Sophie: u scared me! is every1 in the house gone?**

 **Me: The Adler's are on a business trip but some of the housekeepers are here. I paid them to keep them quiet.**

 **Sophie: R u sure u can trust them?**

 **Me: We don't have a choice**

I hopped out of bed once I knew the coast was clear, and went right for the closet. I rummaged through and pulled out one of our large suitcases. I went through our drawers only packed a few clothes. I had to keep it limited to the necessities because I wanted to bring the least amount of luggage possible. As I went through my drawers I came across the photograph of Holden. His little face was upturned toward the camera lens, smiling blissfully, revealing his baby teeth. His grey eyes looked so much like his fathers; he had faint freckles on his face; his brown hair started to grow in. I held onto the picture, stifling a sob as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I gently tucked the photograph of Holden into the suitcase, being careful not to bend it. It was the only photo I had of him, it was precious.

I finished packing and changed into some clothes. I texted Sophie that it was safe to pull up with her car now. She'd been waiting incognito for almost an hour now. I headed out the door, keeping my head down. I didn't make eye contact with any of the house-keepers, praying they would keep my secret. I hastily loaded my suitcase into the trunk then sat in the passenger's seat.

"Anything you want to do before we head for the airport? I promised your parents I'd get you to Colorado a while ago, we're running late" Sophie asked.

"Just make sure it's not the same airport Rafe is going to," I replied.

"Well ahead of ya. Anything else?"

I took off my gaudy wedding ring and held it stiffly in my hands.

"Can we stop at a pawnshop?"

Sophie and my parents, since the day Sophie overheard Regina telling me to move on and have more children, planned on getting me out of the Adler household. My father, who worked for Cecil Adler, had stolen money from their construction company for months to save up enough to go into hiding. My parents were sick of the attitudes of the Adlers, and how they were treating me after the death of Holden. They sold our house in New York in secret and bought a house in Colorado where we'd all have to go into hiding. You don't screw over a rich and powerful family like the Adlers and expect to be safe out in the open.

The plan was risky, but I was ready to run away and start a new life.

* * *

I remained quiet as Rafe forced Sam to find a way into the hidden entrance Avery was hiding in his mansion. I wasn't even sure this entrance existed, but the men's sources told them otherwise. I sat on the steps of one of Avery's grand rooms, complete with a library, heirlooms, tall windows, and a globe sitting toward the upper part. I would usually be in awe of such a grand and undiscovered wonder, but my grogginess from blood loss, no food, and the inevitable of Simmons left me detached. I hadn't spoken a word since Rafe went off on me for mentioning Holden. He had put his foot down like an anchor and I dared not test him again. I was so shaken up that Nadine had to practically drag me to my feet to get me moving again.

I listened to Nadine and Rafe fight whether she should Shoreline to barricade the mansion to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Nadine snapped, her temper clearly flaring. "It wouldn't hurt to leave a few of my men behind to barricade the entrance in case we're being followed!"

"Who's going to be following us out here?" Rafe yelled back, "there's no one out here!"

"What about Nate? And the pestering old man?"

Rafe scoffed, "Nate probably isn't alive, or even conscious for that matter."

I glanced sorrowfully at Sam, who paused from his search to glower at Rafe. I watched the blood continue to drain from Sam's arm, and from the bridge of his nose. I felt guilty leaving him like that, wishing there was something I could do. Rafe wouldn't let me anywhere near Sam, so all I could do was watch him suffer from afar. As much as I wanted to patch up Sam's wounds sustained from Rafe, I was still furious with him for lying and dragging all of us into this mess. My mute fury was well received, Sam gave me sheepish, pitiful glances every once and a while. I know he desperately wanted to confide in me, but there was nothing either of us could do while we were being held captive by Rafe and Shoreline.

I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands, letting my entire body sag in lethargy. Simmons, that was another huge problem looming in the distance. It wasn't a matter of if he'd show up, it was _when._ I knew he was on the island somewhere, lurking in the shadows like a predator, just waiting until we least expected to make his deadly move. Rafe didn't believe he was on the island, tracking down my scent and Avery's treasure. It was ignorant of him to think that way, considering he personally knew Simmons and had first-hand experience of what that madman was capable of. What he didn't seem to realize is that Simmons bloodthirsty appetite wouldn't be sated by me alone, he wouldn't stop until everyone who he thought "aided" me was dealt with.

Sam appeared to have an epiphany. He touched the globe with a bloody finger, rotating the earth slightly on its axis. Rumbling immediately followed, shaking the entire room like a mini tremor. A staircase appeared by the globe, leading straight down under Avery's mansion.

Rafe laughed, "good work Sam, let's get going."

I stood up reluctantly, and followed behind as the team made their way down the staircase. I noticed Sam hesitantly waiting for mostly everyone to pass, his hands shoved nervously in his pockets. He glanced down the staircase to make sure no one was paying attention then took out his lighter and threw it on the ground. He went down the stairs then, getting a lecture from Nadine to "hurry up." I followed them behind, not saying a word.

As we headed down the staircase and the light from the sun began to fade, the colder the atmosphere became. I started to regret wearing shorts and a tank top as I hugged myself for warmth. Our descent into the underground was dank and cramped as we all were forced to huddle single-file. I didn't pay attention to the carved-out walls around us, I kept my eyes on Knot's back who was directly in front of me. As I blindly followed the person in front of me we all came into a clearing, our only light being flashlights from some of the soldiers. There was what appeared to be tiles with symbols on them, suspended from a steep drop that even looked unforgiving in the dark.

"This must be the first of Avery's trials that you mentioned, Sam," Rafe exclaimed, "well?" He added expectedly.

Sam didn't move. Rafe groaned in impatient agitation and marched over to Sam. He gave him a shove by the shoulder, toward the tiles. I nearly reached out after him, afraid he'd lose his footing.

"You first, show us the way."

"If I make one wrong step, then it'll trigger Avery's trap," Sam informed him angrily.

"You best not make any mistakes then," Rafe replied, smiling cynically. Rafe handed his phone to him, showing a saved picture of a sketched-out path.

Sam sighed, looking out onto the tiles. He glanced over his shoulder toward me. My heart was already hammering in my chest in paranoia. I was afraid until I saw the mood shift in Sam's eyes. His expression stared at me intently, as if he was silently telling me what he was about to do. I gulped, having a sinking feeling that I knew exactly what Sam was up to.

"Stay close to me," Sam informed the group, turning his attention back toward Avery's tiles.

He was going to lead Shoreline into a trap.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone! I hope you all like the slightly longer chapter. Thank you so much to everyone for their favorites, follows, and reviews, and for reading and supporting my story! I hope you all enjoy xoxo**

* * *

Avery's horror show underneath the ground was exposed. Other than the traps that were dormant for trespassers to tread in unwelcome territory, there were remains of bodies that had wronged the pirate in the past. He displayed dismembered jaws, hands, and other limbs suspended as we ducked our heads through the narrow caves. In the limited lighting of the flashlights being used it made the scenery even more eerie. He even had mummies preserved in some kind of wax coating stacked along the carved-out corridors. Knot curiously poked at one of the mummies, feeling the gooey texture that coated the body. He instantly wiped his hand in disgust.

"What the hell is this stuff?" He wondered aloud.

"It doesn't matter, let's keep moving. Sam?" Rafe pressed, not wanting us to wait around. As he took a step forward, Nadine gripped his arm, looking determined.

"I'm going to leave another group of men up ahead," she informed him.

Rafe sighed in agitation. "You want to leave more men behind? By the time we get there there'll be none of them left!"

"We'll use it as a rendezvous point to restock or camp out in case we run into trouble. We're going in here blind, Rafe, and it's better to have a backup just in case," Nadine explained, her tone final.

"That's a waste of resources," he dismissed. He looked back at the rest of us, "let's keep moving!"

As Nadine and Rafe seemed momentarily distracted, Sam took the opportunity to sneak back toward me. He stared straight ahead, trying to not to cause suspicion.

"You know what was coating those bodies there, right?" Sam whispered to me, keeping his eyes forward. I looked up at him as he spoke, "no, look straight ahead, we don't want them to catch us talking."

I obeyed, snapping my head forward toward Rafe and Nadine as they continued to bicker. "Something like tungsten, I believe," I replied.

"And what is significant about tungsten?" He questioned, although by his tone I know he already knew the answer.

"It's combustible."

"Bingo. Now we just need to find a way to light it..." Sam answered. "Okay, I'll distract them, you find something that'll spark it."

Without waiting for me to reply Sam already took a step forward, although Rafe and Nadine were still too deep in their argument to notice. What the hell was I going to find? Shoreline had unloaded footlockers around this part of the cave, but how could I rummage through them unnoticed?

"Dammit, I think we're going the wrong way!" Sam suddenly erupted, feigning annoyance.

I knew this was my cue, but I didn't feel ready. As Rafe and Nadine bounded toward him, questioning and frustrated, I waited until the rest of Shoreline seemed drawn into their heated debate. Some of the men continued to work, but as Sam caused more of a stir, the soldiers stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. I couldn't believe this was working. I crept backward cautiously, making sure no eyes were on me. I knelt beside one of the large footlockers and opened it slowly, gritting my teeth in fearful anticipation. I waited a few moments before sticking my hand inside and blindly searching through, still keeping a watchful eye on Shoreline. My hands wrapped around something cylinder. I pulled out a rod flare.

I hastily groped for the cap and removed it, my hands already trembling as I did this as fast as I could without dropping the damn thing. I dropped the cap to the ground then pushed my fingers into the ignition surface. The flare sparked and illuminated a bright blue light almost immediately. Now this drew the attention of Shoreline.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nadine snapped, now heading angrily in my direction.

I held the flare firmly in my hands, stepping back toward the wall. I heard a sound like a hiss and pop, then suddenly the room was filled with an immense glow coming from behind me. I turned to see the mummies lit up like sparklers. The flare seemed to trigger the entire row lining the wall.

"What the hell?" Rafe questioned aloud.

I didn't waste any time, as they were all distracted by the light show I tossed the flare to the ground and broke out into a sprint. Sam did the same, slipping by the dumbstruck crowd.

"Shit, GET DOWN!" Nadine screamed.

Half of her voice was drowned out by a deafening explosion. Mummy after mummy started to explode, making the cave shake and dust and debris spew from the walls. The force of the explosion caused me to go flying down one of the corridors, and down an incline. I rolled down in the dark, feeling every scrape and bruise forming as I made impact after impact. I landed on the ground eventually, but it was pitch black. My ears still rang from the explosions, and my equilibrium was still off balance from falling. I sat up in the dark, touching the side of my head as it throbbed. I coughed, spitting out dust and mummified ashes (ew) from my mouth. It all happened much faster than I expected, and I wasn't even sure if we had really lost Shoreline. For all I know they could have come tumbling down with me.

"Sam?" I muttered into the darkness. There was no response. For a brief moment of panic, I thought I'd lost him. "Sam?" I called again, this time more desperately. I heard something move a few yards over to my left.

"Dani?" I heard a hushed voice respond back. The sound of little stones rolling against the ground as Sam crawled over toward me slowly. I felt his hand press against my midriff, feeling for me in the dark.

"Thank God," I sighed, placing my hand over his.

"Hang on," Sam said. A sudden light came on, shining directly on me. I squinted my eyes from the sudden brightness, realizing that Sam still had Rafe's cellphone.

I reached up my hand blindly for his face. I felt so relieved and grateful at this moment that we were able to escape, that for a brief pause in time I actually felt a tinge of happiness. In spontaneity, I leaned in to kiss him on his lips, but missed and got him on the neck instead. My hand finally found his face, cupping his cheek.

"I don't think this is the time or the place to give me a hickey."

I couldn't help but laugh as I pulled away from his neck. Sam adjusted the light on the phone so it illuminated both of our faces. He smiled lovingly at me as my thumb stroked his rough cheek, and his arms wrapped around me. I felt like I could melt right at this very moment, just staring at him in Avery's booby trapped path underneath the lost city of Libertalia. It sounds silly once I thought about it, but I didn't care.

"I …" He mumbled, "you have every right not to forgive me. I should have told you the truth about the prison, and Nate. And now I might never get a chance to tell him…"

"Hey," I attempted to comfort him. "I should've went into more detail about Rafe and I's relationship, I'm sorry." Another rumble shook us from our sentimental moment. "You're right, this isn't the best place for this."

"Yeah, we should start trying to find a way out of here," Sam agreed, standing up then helping me up.

* * *

Sam and I wandered around the cave with nothing but the small light from the cellphone to guide us. Every once and a while we'd hear explosions, shaking the entire cave and bringing us to a standstill. Shoreline was gaining on us, but we could only tread so fast and carefully. Sam had some clues from Rafe saved on the cell to point the safe way through, but a lot of it was up to Sam's intuition (which luckily he seemed to have a lot of).

Some light from the outside shown through small cracks on the upper side of the cave, but I still didn't feel close enough to escaping Avery's maze. Sam checked Rafe's phone before lowering it, his gaze lingering on me. It looked like he wanted to talk to me about something, but was hesitant to. I admit I was still upset about his lie even though my affection for him remained, but being standoffish now would get us nowhere. He was still unsure to freely speak to me, but perhaps he summed up the courage.

"When Rafe first found us before we got separated from Nate… he said a name when he lashed out at you…" Sam started awkwardly.

I took a deep breath, knowing this would surface sooner or later. "Holden."

"Right," Sam scratched the back of his head nervously, trying to think of the right words to say next. I decided to just spit it out so he didn't have to tiptoe his way around the topic.

"Holden was our son," I replied, my voice somewhat hollow but stronger than I perceived.

Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he said nothing. I took another shuddering breath, feeling like I was forcefully pulling out stitches from a still healing wound.

"We lost him in a construction accident when he was a toddler," I continued on, "losing Holden was what really drove the final wedge into Rafe and I's marriage. I couldn't handle it and Rafe's way of coping was going after this," I glanced around the cave, insinuating Avery's treasure. "I was so young and stupid then, there was so many ways we could've sorted our grief out, but I chose to run away and make enemies with the Adler family." I shook my head at my grave mistake. Running off with my cousin seemed like a good idea at the time, but not now since Simmons was able to step into the picture. "I was nineteen and terrified, and now look at us," I kicked a stone and watched it idly, "owing a shark who wants me dead with an army and my angry and morally ambiguous husband after me."

Sam wiped his mouth with his hand, astonished. "Jesus Christ, Danielle. I had no idea, I'm so sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize," I interrupted, feeling my gut twist uncomfortably from receiving pity. "It happened a decade ago. Look, Rafe and Nadine are probably on their way right now, we should get moving again.

Sam stared at me sadly, still unmoving. I had to avert my eyes from him, the intensity was far too much for me. I suppressed a sob, trying to hide my face from him but he could already tell. I felt his hand gently caress my back; his other hand gripped my wrist gently. I tried so hard to fight to hide the truth but now it all came out like a dam bursting. I had cried in front of Sam before, but the reason had been a secret. I turned into Sam letting myself be held by him. I cried into his chest as he embraced me. I admit, letting all my pent-up emotions felt good, I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my soul. It felt natural to be vulnerable in front of Sam, something I had been afraid of before.

Inaudible shouts made me pull away from the safety of Sam's chest. We both stared out into the darkness. Stomping of combat boots started to echo throughout the cave, followed by beams of light shining from a distance.

"They caught up to us, we gotta go!" Sam informed me hastily.

He gripped my hand and led me with nothing but the light of Rafe's phone. I hoped that where we fell wasn't enclosed without a way out. As we ran through Avery's cave we saw a beam of sunlight from up ahead. As Sam led me, we ran right into a soldier from Shoreline. Stunned, we all swayed, unable to react straightaway. As Sam gained his bearings he punched the solider, ripping the pistol from his hands. I followed Sam, still dazed and disoriented from the dark.

"I see them up ahead!" Someone yelled from behind us.

"Keep running, Dani! There's a way out up ahead!" Sam called behind me.

We exited the mouth of the cave. I nearly stumbled from being blinded by the sun, even though I still ran forward. I let go of Sam's hand by mistake, but the sound of gunshots behind me kept my pace fast. It was then I realized we had reached a beach with dozens of crashed ships everywhere. I watched Sam jump into the sand, heading toward one of the ships for cover. I did the same, still hearing the soldiers trampling behind us. The two of us leaped onto one of the ships; it creaked unpleasantly under our feet. Shoreline continued to spill out of Avery's cave, brining every piece of artillery I could think of. They rained down bullets in our direction as we struggled to climb toward the crow's nest of the ship. The two of us took cover behind the wood of the ship. Sam would shoot back with the stolen pistol, but against all of them it did nothing.

"Keep your head down!" Sam told me.

"We're pinned down here, Sam! We can't stay here!" I replied, covering my head.

A sniper's bullet, followed by rapid fire from another gun pierced the planks of wood by us. We ducked by instinct

"We don't really have a choice!" Sam shot his pistol over cover again.

I wish I had a weapon so I could help, but the two of us against this many soldiers with one semi-automatic pistol wouldn't do the job. I could do nothing but sit beside Sam, making sure no one was trying to sneak up on us or throw grenades. My ears heard someone in the distance shouting, and for a moment I could swear they were screaming Sam's name. I crawled over toward the edge of the crow's nest, cautiously peeking out to see if there was someone really shouting Sam's name. My eyes widened in surprise.

"I see Nate and his wife!" I pointed in the distance at the couple fighting their way over to us.

"Are you serious?" Sam exclaimed in disbelief.

I was so relieved to see Nate alive. Nate and his wife had really helped diminish the forces of Shoreline. Quiet fell over the beach as the remaining Shoreline soldiers had either been killed or ran off. Sam wiped his sweaty brow with his arm, finally able to catch his breath.

"Hey, you're a sight for sore eyes," Sam greeted Nate and his wife.

"Thank God you're alive!" I exclaimed to Nate.

"Yeah, how 'bout we get off this damn beach, huh?" Nate replied.

"Absolutely," Sam kicked down a rope ladder for them to climb.

"You find my lighter?" Sam asked as Nate climbed up.

Right then an RPG missile struck by us, sending all of us crashing down into the deck below. The three of us groaned as we sat up. Elena jumped down and moved up and was already shooting. Another RPG round struck by us, making all of us stumble to our knees again.

"We gotta take out that RPG!" Nate's wife stated.

"I don't have a gun," I said.

"Here," Nate handed me his pistol as he gripped an ARX-160.

We shot at him as we alternated to taking cover and firing. Eventually the bastard with the RPG was taken out. We moved up off the ship, still encountering an insane amount of Shoreline soldiers. As we made our way up to another deck, some of the soldiers jumped out at us. One of them grabbed my wrist, forcing me to point my gun down. I gave him a low side kick in the shin, then a front kick at his hip to pry him off. I went for him then, not even wanting to use the pistol now. I punched him in the throat, the chest, then struck him with the pistol at his jaw.

"Another RPG!" I heard Sam shout from behind me.

From the giant ship, across from us there was another bastard shooting missiles at us. The ship we were on was already torn in half and unstable, not to mention we were still fighting soldiers who seemed to be popping around corners. Two RPG rounds knocked Nate and I over. The explosions hammered in my eardrums as I gained my footing.

"Motherfucker…" I moaned in annoyance, casting the man across the ship with a nasty glare.

We shot at them, and eventually had to use that grappling hook Nate and Sam carry around to swing across since the ship we were standing on wasn't going to last much longer. It was pure chaos; I'm still surprised none of us were killed. But I did thoroughly enjoy beating the RPG holder's face in. Once again we were out gunned and had to run for it. We hopped onto another boat and ran inside for cover. Another explosion sent a canon rolling backwards, and Nate and I tumbling back.

"Nate!" Elena cried.

"I'm good, keep running!"

Nate and I jumped over the canon, but another missile made the deck collapse, and sent the two of us sliding into the water. Nate and I swam up toward the surface, but the ship was rapidly sinking and filling up with water.

"We gotta get out of here," Nate said breathlessly.

I took a deep breath and dove under, tugging on Nate's pant leg to follow me. There was an opening at the bottom of the ship, leading into another corridor. We swan into it and surfaced again. Our heads and arms met the top of the ship as the water continued filling.

"Shit!" I gasped, sucking in another deep breath as were swallowed under again. Nate tried to push the top, but it wasn't budging at all.

One more opening thankfully led us out of the ship. I gasped for air as we surfaced again, but we didn't get a break. Shoreline was waiting on the shore for us. Nate and I whipped out our water-logged pistols and tried to shoot and swim at the same time. When we reached the shore, trucks pulled up and unloaded more soldiers. Luckily there were supply caches all along the beach, so we were able to throw grenades to get rid of most of them. But a turret from one of the trucks pinned us down again.

"Nate, look!" I pointed at an RPG, discarded on the sand a few feet in front of us.

I got down low and reached for it. Bullets from the truck kicked up sand all around me, but I kept trying to grab the RPG. Nate covered me, shooting a rifle at the truck. My fingers entangled around the weapon and pulled it back toward me. Nate shook off the sandy weapon, loaded it, then shot two rounds at the truck until it finally exploded. The truck rolled into a brick building nearby, clearing a path for us. Before we could celebrate, _another_ armored truck pulled up behind us and this one meant business. As we climbed up the truck came crashing through the building, making Nate and I fall on the hood of the truck, then be propelled off of it onto one of the stone streets on the outskirts of Libertalia.

"Shit, we gotta move!" I pulled Nate to his feet then we both went running for it.

The truck left a total path of destruction behind it as Nate and I found ways to climb higher above ground. We climbed on top of a large pillar to evade the trucks bullets.

"Hey, it can't get us up here, right?" Nate chuckled slightly. Right as he finished his sentence the truck rammed into the pillar, making it come falling down into the next street over. "Why, why, why?" Nate cried as we fell.

The goddamned truck still drove after us, nearly running us over. We ran into a dead end, but suddenly the truck got stuck and the windshield got blown out with fire. I ducked my head, staring at it, awestruck.

"Sully?" Nate questioned, staring up the cliff at a figure standing above.

"How ya doin', kids?" Sully greeted.

"Sully!" I yelled in excitement. Finally, something was going in our favor.

The truck still fired from its turret, making Nate and I have to scramble for cover. Sully tossed down his RPG and Nate was able to put the beast to rest. I stupid truck finally blew up. I bent down, grasping my knees as I panted.

"For God and Liberty, asshole! Uh… that sounded better in my head," Nate sighed.

I laughed, unable to control myself. I was just relieved we had made it this far alive. Sully helped us up on the cliff. I hugged him in thanks, knowing we'd both be dead if not for him.

"Good to see you kids."

"Right in the nick of time," Nate chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I got a little antsy not hearing from you three," Sully replied.

"We gotta find Sam and Elena still."

"Hey!" As if on cue Nate's wife came running up to him from around a corner. "Are you okay?" She asked, hugging Nate. "We heard those explosions and we thought…"

"That was all this guy, "Nate looked gratefully at Sully.

"You saved his ass again?" Nate's wife asked, smiling.

"Naturally," Sully responded.

"Oh, uh Elena, this is Danielle, she got swept up with us on this whole thing. She saved both of our assess plenty of times. Dani, this is my wife Elena." Nate introduced.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I said to Elena, shaking her hand.

"Likewise, thanks for keeping him out of trouble."

"How are you doing?" Sully asked.

"Good, good. There some close calls but um, he covered me," Elena glanced over at the corner.

Sam emerged from cover, seeming uncomfortable to be confronting his brother again. I jogged over to him, happy to see him alive. I embraced him, so thankful that he was okay.

"Thank God you're safe," I said, burying myself into his chest.

He pulled away and cupped my cheeks to get my attention and inspect to see if I had any injuries. "You doing okay? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head gently, "no."

Sam let go of me with a smile. His eyes flitted over to Nate, Sully and Elena. "Hey." He greeted somewhat sheepishly.

"Hey," Nate replied. "How's that?" Nate asked, cocking his head toward Sam's bullet-wounded arm. I noticed it was now wrapped up.

"Oh, bullet grazed my shoulder, you?" Sam responded with a light chuckle.

"Cliffside grazed my face," Nate replied, pointing to his forehead. "So how'd you two lose Rafe?"

"We led his crew right into one of Avery's traps."

I nodded in affirmation.

"Smart."

After a short pause Sam took a step forward. "Hey, about the whole Alcázar thing…" he started

"We can talk about this later," Nate said.

"I owe you an explanation about Rafe, too," I added, looking over at Nate.

"It's okay, once we get to safety we can discuss everything," Nate replied. "Which way?" He asked Sully.

"On the beach," Sully pointed, "on the side of this town."

"I hope all that ruckus didn't attract any attention," Elena added.

The three of them started to move and I did too until I heard Sam clear his throat. I stopped and turned to him curiously. Nate, Elena and Sully stopped to hear him out.

"Whoa, whoa whoa, sorry, what are we doing?" He asked.

"What do you think we're doing? We're getting the hell off this rock," Sully answered.

"Right we could do that, or we could head in that direction which is a shortcut," Sam pointed to the right.

"A shortcut to what?"

"Avery's treasure," Sam answered.

"Oh, wow," Sully scoffed.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I stared at Sam like he was crazy. We just got away from them!

"I mean, Rafe's got to go all the way around and we can just-" Sam explained.

"Hey, screw Rafe," Sully interrupted.

"Hey, Victor with all due respect-" Sam started, trying to keep his voice even.

"You just don't know when to quit."

"Look, we're all here for the same reason," Sam interjected.

"We didn't come after the treasure, we came after you," Elena pointed out.

"And I appreciate that, I do, but we're good. And we've got the lead for now. We can do this," Sam glanced around but no one seemed to agree with him. "Dani, you need this treasure to stop Simmons, right?"

I looked down at the muddy ground, feeling bad at how eager and desperate he seemed. "Simmons is here I'm sure of it, he doesn't need me to find the treasure anymore." I wasn't sure of this, but I was tired of this island. Sam was disappointed in my answer.

"Nathan, look around. Avery scuttled every last ship on this island, you know why?" Sam asked.

"Because he was hell bent on keeping his treasure," Elena answered.

"Exactly."

"-no matter the cost to the others around him," Elena added.

Sam sighed. "Because he didn't want anyone to follow him. Because he was leaving! Look at this-" Sam pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket (I didn't even know he had that). "Okay, I found his map of the island. That's his ship right under that mountain, that's where our treasure is! And that's exactly where Rafe is headed right now as we stand around arguing like idiots!"

"What if he'd already left the island and his ship sunk out there somewhere in the middle of the ocean?" Sully interjected, starting to get annoyed.

"Then we found out where it got sunk." Sam replied.

"Oh boy," Sully dismissed, waving his hand.

I crossed my arms and shut my eyes, listening to Sam practically beg to keep going. If Simmons was really on this island, then I wanted to get the hell off of it. Let Rafe pave the way for him and I would have to deal with that ugly mess later. I'd rather be headed home and prolong the moment to when Simmons finally catches up to me. But seeing Sam's clear obsession slightly scared me and made me sad. Nate handed the map back to Sam, letting him down easily. Sam reluctantly agreed, raising his hands like he was going to surrender.

"Victor, where's that plane?" Sam asked, his tone quiet.

"Right this way," Sully started ahead, walking around him.

"Sam… I'm so sorry," I began, my voice meek. But Sam had already followed Sully down the cliff and didn't hear me, or he chose not to listen.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello, everyone! I'm shipping my computer in for maintenance so it will be out of commission for a few days or a week. Before that I wanted to get a quick update in, one I've been excited to share!** **Sorry that this is a shorter chapter, I didn't have as much time as I wanted to write. I hope you all are continuing to enjoy the story. Thank you to everyone who reads, follows, favorites, and reviews! It means the world to me! Until next time xoxo**

* * *

The port town we cut through was quaint. I could imagine it back in its prime, even through the decay of exposure. I felt lost in my own thoughts as I admired the small part of Libertalia while everyone else discussed options of a possible ambush from Shoreline. Even with our short time of venturing toward escape, Simmons still lingered in the back of my brain. Sure, I could run and avoid him now but Simmons was persistent. He would _never_ stop until he was satisfied with my demise.

My thoughts turned sour thinking about that horrid man. I had been so desperate and afraid to escape him, even if that meant ending my own life. Selfish. That was so selfish of me because-

 _You haven't told Sophie, you need to give her the message because-_ That stupid, prying voice whispered in my head. I don't know if it was my conscious because it sounded far too cunning.

 _Shut up! Just shut up! Simmons will never find out! No one can… I can't think about that now. I need to concentrate._

 _How could you NOT think about THAT now? It's your main drive to make it after all, isn't it?_ The voice pressed. _As long as Simmons is alive-_

I clutched the side of my head, digging my nails into my scalp. I had to quiet that voice down. It was like a constant buzzing in my head. I had to focus on getting to the plane, everything else could be dealt with later. Escaping Shoreline and Simmons was my main priority now.

"Are you all right?" A voice piped up behind me.

I turned to see Elena staring at me curiously, her brows drawn in slight worriment. I could see Nate and Sam trying to figure out how to get across some wooden contraption that resembled a sky-rail. I must've looked like a crazy person standing there with my hands holding my head as if it was going to roll off my shoulders.

"Yeah I just have a headache," I replied, a half-truth.

 _They can never know._

"Hey, come get on! Nathan is going to pull us across!" Sam called.

Nate had jumped down and already had the grapple hook ready to pull the rest of us across the cliff. Elena and I joined Sully and Sam. Of course, with our luck the damn thing started to fall apart right as we reached the edge to the other side. Sully and Elena jumped off as I stayed with Sam. He waited to pull up his brother. Now it _really_ fell, and Sam and I were separated from the rest of the group.

"Sam! Dani!" Nate yelled from the other side. "C'mon! Just jump, I'll catch you! Let's go!"

Sam wasn't looking at his brother, he was looking up at the mountain as I readied myself at the ledge to jump toward Nate. I paused to glance back at Sam. I knew that look on his face; I felt my insides twist unpleasantly yet again.

"No, no, no, don't you even think about it, you hear me?" Nate warned.

"I'm sorry I got you into this! All of you!" Sam responded, his eyes now back on the mountain.

"Hey, all that doesn't matter anymore, just jump."

"I gotta see this thing through Nathan," Sam started toward the direction of the mountain.

"Sam?" I called, shocked by what he was doing.

"Hey, listen to me! If you do this I'm not coming after you! You hear me?"

Sam paused to look at Nate, then at me. "I'm sorry," he replied, then he was gone.

"I'm going after him!" I told Nate. I didn't wait around for a reply; I knew I couldn't let Sam go after Avery's treasure by himself.

 _This is so stupid and dangerous. I just had a way out and was going to rid myself of Simmons, Shoreline, and Rafe's shadow finally, but now Sam has to go do this!_ I thought to myself furiously. That pesky little voice tuned in again. I hated my inner voice because it always was true and right even when I didn't want it to be. It always drew my attention back to where it was needed, even as I tried desperately to ignore it.

 _You don't have to go after him. You're only doing this because you love him._

My cheeks grew hot at the sudden realization of my feelings. This time I was in denial of what my conscious, or whatever the hell it was, said. Sam and I weren't even in a relationship, not really. I doubted after everything that happened that our relationship would advance past a one night stand. He had lied to me, I had somewhat lied to him, he was now putting the treasure before everything else, even me. I was following him into deadly territory. But that wasn't the worst of it; I was _still_ lying to him.

 _He won't want you, not after he finds out._

I grit my teeth from behind my clenched jaw, still following Sam's trail. The voice echoed relentlessly in my head and didn't quiet down until I finally spotted the oldest Drake brother in the distance.

* * *

 _10 years ago_

I shut myself in the bathroom pacing the floor and staring at my phone sitting on the counter. A box of my unpacked things sat beside it, waiting until I finished trying to settle in. My family's new home in Colorado was smaller than the house we had in New York, but I didn't mind. The less flashy the better.

I paced back and forth, catching my nervous self in the mirror as I moved. I had already broken out into a sweat on my forehead; I could see the droplets start to pool and gleam from the reflection of the bathroom light. I chewed nervously on the nail of my thumb, not wanting to make this phone call.

Once again I was trapped. I couldn't turn to my parents or anyone else, the only person I could confide in was Sophie. My parents would be upset at me for making a long-distance call to the Philippines, but I had to talk to her. Someone had to know.

After the fourth ring Sophie picked up.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded hurried and irritated.

"Sophie…" I began, forcing myself to take a deep breath. I hadn't even realized I had been holding it.

"What's up, Dani? Everything going well at the new house?"

"Sophie, I'm late."

I could hear Sophie clear her throat on the other line. "Late for what? Dani, are you okay?"

"Do you hear me?" I hissed into my phone's receiver. I looked cautiously at the bathroom door, fearful that someone was listening in. "I'm _late._ "

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I sighed in impatient frustration. "Jesus, do I have to spell it out for you? My period, Sophie, it's late."

There was a long moment of silence. I gripped the phone, pressing it so close to my ear that it started to hurt. It felt like an eternity before my cousin finally spoke again, and her tone of voice frightened me. She sounded grave.

"Oh my God… how…?" Sophie croaked.

"This is the second month I've missed it, Sophie… _two_ months!" I answered, my voice starting to tremble. "God, Sophie, what am I going to do? I can't go back to the Adlers! Not now!"

"Okay, okay," Sophie hushed. There was another long silence before she spoke again. "You know, this could be a fluke. I heard stress could cause a woman to have irregular periods, I mean that's not uncommon, is it? Have you taken a test yet?"

"No, no…" I sank down onto the toilet seat, unable to stand any longer, "but I know it's going to be positive, I just know it!"

"How can you-"

"I've been pregnant before, Sophie!" I suddenly erupted, instantly quieting my voice after the outburst. "It feels just like it had when I first found out about Holden. My breasts have been really tender, I've been very nauseous, I keep using the bathroom, I've been super tired-"

"That could still be stress, right?" Sophie interjected meekly.

I sighed again, "no, Sophie, I don't think it is. Rafe and I were having sex right until the very end when I ran away, nearly three months ago."

"Shit…" Sophie clipped, all hope drained from her voice. "Just… go get a pregnancy test and take it, that way you can know for sure. Call me back right away once you get the results, okay? Don't worry we'll figure this out. If you're a month or two into your term, then you probably have another two months before you start showing. Don't panic, Danielle."

I started to take slow, methodical deep breaths to calm my nerves and racing heart. Sophie was right, I still had time before I would start showing so I wouldn't have to tell my parents right away. I knew Sophie would have my back no matter what and that we could figure this out together.

"Oh God, I need to start taking prenatal vitamins. What if it's malnourished?" I suddenly realized, voicing my fear to my cousin.

"Calm down, first take a pregnancy test, then you can go from there." Sophie replied evenly.

"Okay, okay… you're right."

"Call me back soon, promise?"

I took rattling breath, "I promise."


	19. Chapter 19

**Long time no see! I am so, so, SO sorry for not updating in months! I have been so busy that I haven't had time (or much inspiration) to finish this chapter. I am in the process of moving out of state, and the preparation is unbelievable. But the new chapter is finally here! The end is near, there's only about two chapters left or so, I can't believe it! I hope all of you enjoy the update; I'll try to update faster next time. Let me know what you think! XOXO**

* * *

"Sam! Sam, will you slow down for a second?"

I had to briskly jog to keep up with his hurried pace. I could tell by his straightened back (and him ignoring me) that he was agitated. I knew he wasn't happy with me because I sided with Nate, wanting to get off the island. I admit that my indecisiveness on wanting to see Avery's treasure through to pay off Simmons, then changing my mind to just fleeing the island was frustrating even for myself. I'm not a fickle person by nature, but I was sick of this island and this Goddamn endless treasure hunt.

Still, Sam had so much passion and was depending on my support, so I felt guilty. I knew the cost of not paying Simmons… it meant torture for me, possible death to my daughter and anyone I care about. I had no choice, both to protect my child and to support Sam. Don't get me wrong, I was still pissed that he had lied, but we both had a similar goal.

"Sam, can you please stop and talk to me," I grabbed his shoulder gently. He whirled around, his eyes blazing with determination, and yes, agitation.

"So, you want to come along now," Sam huffed.

I cupped his face with my hands, staring up at him and trying to get him to calm down and focus. It seemed to work for a moment, I noticed Sam's breathing began to slow.

"I know I've been wishy-washy, but I've come to a few realizations and I've made up my mind," I began, taking a deep breath myself. "I'm going to help you get Avery's treasure for a few reasons-"

Sam gripped my right wrist and gently pulling it away from his face. "You still think Simmons is on the island?"

"I _know_ he is… that man, that monster does not give up, but he's not the only reason I've decided to come with you."

Sam glanced behind him at the path, leading to more forestation and a cliff. I know he was getting antsy on the fact that Rafe's men were closing in. I gripped his cheek again and turned his head back toward me.

"Listen, this will only take a second," I told him, "there's something else you need to know."

Sam rose his eyebrows, "another secret?"

Now it was my turn to get agitated.

"Don't even think of using that tone with me, Drake, not after what you did," I jabbed my pointer finger into his chest, trying to contain my hostility. "There is something important that I had to keep quiet for the past ten years so Rafe wouldn't find out."

"Can't this wait," Sam interjected, looking like he was ready to take a step back.

"No, it can't, dammit! I have a much bigger stake in this than Simmons. I want to tell you this because I care about you, Sam, and you have the right to know. After I fled from Rafe and went into hiding, I discovered I was pregnant again."

I saw the color drain from Sam's face almost instantly. "Wait, so you had another child after Holden?"

I nodded, "it was a complete shock, and Rafe doesn't know. After I had the baby I put her in my cousin's custody so she'd be kept safe. Her name is Vera, and she's nine years old now."

Sam placed his hand over his mouth, and turned away from me. He was silent for a minute, in deep thought. For a brief moment of terrible dread, I thought he was going to end things here and now. A child means emotional baggage and too much responsibility for some people.

"Please say something," I pleaded.

"This… damn, this is a lot to take in. Getting this treasure will get Simmons and Rafe off your back. If you don't deliver Avery's treasure to Simmons, that puts your life and your daughter's at risk."

"Yes. No one knows about Vera, but Simmons is ruthless and has contacts you wouldn't believe." I gripped Sam's arm so he'd look at me again, "Simmons is more dangerous and insane than I can put into words. I'm scared of what will happen, and also if Rafe finds out…" I shuddered at the thought.

"We need to keep moving if we're going to beat Rafe there," Sam informed me.

He was right, we had to get moving.

* * *

Getting to Avery's ship was as dangerous as dealing with Simmons. The leaps, nearly collapsing bridges, swinging on decaying rope, and how high we were climbing was a near-death sentence. As I've mentioned many times, climbing is not my strong-suit. I had nearly slipped more times than what I was comfortable with, and Sam had to catch me, putting his life in jeopardy. I was so relieved that he had taken the news of Vera's existence well. What we would do if we survived getting off this island, I didn't know. It was hard to look that far into the future.

Eventually we had found it, descending into a wet, dark cave where part of the ocean had found its way in. Inside was an old ship, undoubtedly it had to be Avery's ship. As we carefully made our way down, I could see the excitement in Sam's eyes. This is something he'd been working over a decade to find. I smiled to myself, letting him have his moment. To our grave disappointment Rafe, Nadine, and his men had already arrived. The numbers of the men had greatly decimated, and they looked worn. Chests of treasure was beside them, resting on an ancient dock as Orca and Knot heaved it onto a small motorboat.

"Shit, Sam what do we do now?"

"There's another motorboat we can use to get inside. That can't be all the treasure inside," Sam made his way lower down the rocks, nearing the waters edge.

Rafe was nowhere in sight, not on the docks at least. Nadine watched the last two of her men load the boat, looking worn and almost unsatisfied. From her rigid posture, I could tell she was just as done with this island as the rest of us.

Sam and I started to swim in the clear (and freezing) water toward the dock. We had to swim slow so we wouldn't splash too loud, but Sam's impatience and eagerness was getting the better of him. We got close enough to the dock to hear Nadine and her men speaking as we swam under the dock and around to the other motorboat.

"We almost done here," Nadine asked.

"This is the last of them, ma'am," Knot answered.

That's all we heard. Right as Sam and I climbed on the boat, he started the motor and zoomed off so fast I nearly slipped overboard. I didn't bother to look back to see if they were going to chase us. Our getaway wasn't exactly discreet, but the ship was so close now hardly anything else mattered. I felt so moved that we had finally made it to this point that I nearly cried. There was no time to sit and become emotional, right when the boat pulled up beside the ancient ship, we climbed out and went onto the ship.

"Rafe could be right behind us. How are we going to do this," I asked Sam as we wandered around the dock.

He rigorously searched for a way inside. Sam felt every floorboard, feeling for a hollow sweet-spot that would give. I watched him nervously, feeling eyes watching me and closing in. I went to go help him search, but he stopped me.

"Tread lightly, I'm sure Avery filled this ship with traps."

The sound of a revving motorboat engine made me finally look back over my shoulder. Rafe and his posse were approaching quickly.

"Sam, we have to go now!"

"Here," Sam exclaimed, removing a plank of wood so we could drop underneath the dock.

We both slipped in and dropped into the unknown darkness of the ship. We were greeted with piles of gold and other brilliantly shining treasure, all scattered about with the slanting ship. There was so much gold I couldn't even fathom the sheer amount or its worth, and this wasn't even the whole ship, just one layer below the surface. Sam had found an elegantly decorated door suspended by rope and pulled it up, exposing a room that completely shown with gold.

We had found the real jackpot.

Sam and I entered the room in what felt like slow motion. There was so much gold that some of it had to be suspended overhead in nets. We were in absolute awe, Rafe's approaching men had become an afterthought. I didn't have a clue how we were going to get any of this gold off the ship, most of it looked extremely heavy, but we had made it. We had found Libertalia, found Avery's long-lost treasure, and even found Avery and Tew's final resting place. Inside this room two skeletal remains with swords stabbed through the bones lay on the floor.

Before we could take another step, an explosion erupted from behind us, sending the both of us airborne. The ship creaked and groaned in protest, sending debris of wood flying, the structure crippling as one of the traps was triggered. I don't know where I ended up, but I struck my head on something hard. My vision darkened and my ears violently rang. I recall smelling smoke and feeling suddenly very warm, but most of that moment was a blur. There were three voices arguing, but none of them were Sam's. Eventually my eyes opened. I was facedown against the ship, and there was a dull pain shooting up my left hand. Flames danced around me, but my head hurt far too much to lift it and look around. Something warm and wet dripped into my eyes, stinging them. I had no choice but to shut my eyes again.

"You open this goddamn door right now!"

That was Rafe's voice, but the constant ringing in my ears made everything sound so muffled. I used my right hand to wipe my eyes, and tried to open them again. My hands were covered with blood. I felt a tender spot right above my forehead, feeling a gash that was gushing blood. I finally willed myself to sit up, but a violent jolt of pain in my left hand made me stop. I looked over to my left to find my hand and part of my arm stuck beneath of giant wooden pillar. By instinct I went to pull, only to be rewarded with another surge of terrible pain.

I let out an agonized moan, unable to stop myself. I let my head drop back on the ship floor, feeling horribly dizzy. I could see Nate kneeling beside a body that was also stuck underneath a large pillar. I realized it was Sam and suddenly felt very sick. I tried to speak, but my throat burned as if it had been charred, and my head throbbed with every little twitch my body made. As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I saw Rafe trying to slice Nate with a sword. His Iaido skills hadn't waned after all these years. As Sam lay unconscious and Nate evade the blade to save his life, I heard heavy thumps from atop the ship. Someone else was here.

My heart sank, I knew exactly who it was, and I knew it wasn't Nadine. There were several stomps of heavy boots from the dock of the ship, but Nate and Rafe were too focused on their swordfight to hear.

"Rafe, stop," I managed to cry, my voice so raspy it was unrecognizable.

Rafe parried one of Nate's strikes, smashing the bladed edge of his sword against Nate's and pushing him away. Rafe glanced back at me, the fire of Avery's ship dancing madly in his eyes. Nate had lowered his sword, physically winded.

"Dani, for God's sake, look what you got yourself into," he commented. "That is what happens when you follow _him_ around. He nearly got us all killed, and by the sight of you, you have come the closest."

"Rafe, listen to me, Si-"

Before I could warn him, another explosion erupted from the ship, sending Rafe and Nate tumbling over. More bright flames grew with rage, getting close to engulfing most of the ship. But it was too late for escape, not because of the flames or suffocating smoke, because Simmons had finally arrived.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, everyone! I'm very excited to bring you all another update! There's one or two chapters left of Crossing Paths, I can't believe it! I'll be starting the sequel after I finish CP. I'm eager to continue the story, I hope you all will enjoy it! Thank you to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this story - it means the world to me and inspires me to keep on writing. Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **TW: graphic descriptions of violence/gore and sexual assault**

I opened my eyes slowly, finding myself nearly face down on a cold, stone floor. Opening my eyelids had been such an effort, I didn't even attempt to move. My entire body felt as if I had been struck and dragged by a train. My face felt sticky and smelled strongly of iron from the dry blood that had gushed from the gash on my forehead. My left arm was throbbing in such immense pain that the slightest twitch sent painful bolts of electricity all the way through it. I remembered my arm had been trapped under a fallen wooden pillar on the ship; I had no doubt it was broken. I took shallow, labored breaths, trying to focus on the hazy surroundings around me.

I could see several armed militia-dressed men walking around, carrying some serious assault rifles. I could hear Rafe's voice, but he was horribly muffled by the ringing that was _still_ drowning out my ears. He sounded stressed and almost scared by what little bits of tone I could hear in his voice. Pain had kept my attention, but I couldn't help but feel a terrible sense of dread capture my interest.

As my eyes focused I finally saw Rafe's blurry figure become clear. He was talking hurriedly to a man I wish I would never see again. A monster in human form.

Simmons' thin, but menacing figure stood before Rafe, his calloused hands casually slid into his pockets. Simmons' jet black and greying hair was slicked back with heavy amounts of gel, his aged face glanced at Rafe with mild disinterest, as if he was growing bored with whatever Rafe was saying. Simmons' had a belt on that carried several different weapons, just itching to be used for some unspeakable torture. Rafe's head was bleeding as well, and his shirt was torn from fighting Nate, but I didn't see the Drakes anywhere. Simmons looked over his shoulder in my direction, his predatory eyes locking on me. He smiled, revealing a set of dully white teeth.

"Well, well, well, she's finally awake," he practically rejoiced. Simmons sauntered his way over to me, his hands still stuffed in his pockets. Rafe watched him carefully, his eyes fearful.

Simmons crouched down beside me. I wanted to jerk away, but couldn't. He was still grinning, his crowded teeth reminded me of a shark's.

"Time for me to repay a little favor," Simmons announced. He lifted up his leg and brought down his steel toed boot down on my left arm.

I screamed in agony, deafening the sound of my bones crunching and crackling under my skin. Simmons stomped on my arm again, this time grinding his foot like he was snuffing out a cigarette There was no quieting the loud, audible snap that erupted from my arm now. As he lifted his boot off my arm, I could see a piece of bone piercing out of my skin. My arm was now horribly bruised, and misshapen from the elbow down. Blood started to seep around the exposed bone. I was crying now, my entire body trembling. Rafe watched, speechless and horrified – he finally realized how dangerous Simmons was, but it was too late at this point. Simmons crouched down beside me again, but I was too busy mourning my badly fractured arm.

"You disappoint me, Danielle. You failed to keep in contact with me, and decided to side with others to take the treasure for yourself?" Simmons made the 'tsk tsk' sound, circling around my crumpled body. "You were not much help finding Avery's treasure, I thought you were supposed to be an elite treasure hunter! I did most of the work myself!" He was yelling now, his mood dramatically shifting.

Simmons pulled out his gun, a silver Desert Eagle, from its holster on his belt.

"Wait, that's not necessary," Rafe interjected.

Simmons peered over at him, "you wanted the treasure, too."

"Hold on, I'm sure we can work something out," Rafe began, slowly approaching Simmons. "We can make a deal, right? I'm sure you're a reasonable man. Let's talk numbers-"

Simmons snickered, "do you really think I'm going to share this treasure?"

I stared up at the two men, their bodies distorted through my tears. I just wanted all of this to end. Simmons had finally tracked me down, Sam was gone or missing, and Rafe was the only person here to witness me die. A fitting end, I suppose. I had been selfish, I wasn't there enough for my daughter, but at least she could still be protected. Sophie would keep her safe, hell she raised her while I was hiding away, but the last rational (or perhaps irrational) part of me wanted to end all of this senseless violence. This treasure had turned all of us ugly, and I was beyond the point of being tired of seeing it.

"Please stop…" I huffed, my voice still guttural and hard to recognize. I didn't think I was loud enough, my damn ears were still ringing, but I had caught both of their attention. "You have the treasure now, Simmons, there's no need to carry this out…"

Simmons bounded back toward me, and I flinched in anticipation of him striking me, but he didn't. He rubbed his chin in thought, lowering his gun as he did so. I noted how much his tanned skin resembled aged leather and I felt even more repulsed by him. With reflexes like a cat, he ripped out a Fixation Bowie knife from his belt and lowered himself toward me again. He brought the knife over his head and brought it down hard on my left hand. My vision blurred in pain; before I could comprehend what happened, my middle and ring finger were gone. Blood poured from the opened flesh. By instinct I covered my fingers with my right hand, trying to stop the bleeding. Simmons kicked my discarded fingers away from me, looking disgusted as if I had done something wrong.

"You don't speak unless spoken to!" Simmons roared.

He recoiled his leg; his foot and kicked me in the gut. The steel toe of his boot struck my ribs. I gasped for breath, unable to scream. Rafe was now making his way over to him, reaching out his hand. I don't know if he was going to attempt to reason with him, or start a confrontation, but Rafe had made a very fatal judgement. Simmons was way too quick.

Simmons turned and pulled the trigger of his Desert Eagle. The bullet pierced Rafe's abdomen, and blew him backwards. On his back, Rafe wheezed heavily, desperately trying to suck in air. His hands gripped his stomach, but blood had already started to pool out of the wound. Simmons sneered down at Rafe, holstering his gun and shaking his head.

"You're fucking stupid, you know that?"

Simmons walked away from us, and went to speak to one of his heavily armed men. I watched helpless as Rafe lay gasping just a few feet from me. A sudden rush of emotion and guilt washed over me. With my good arm and a lot of effort, I started to drag myself in Rafe's direction. The pain was more agonizing than I can describe, but nothing seemed to matter anymore. I was going to die anyway. I made it to Rafe, looking down at him. His grey eyes stared up fearfully into mine, wider than I had ever seen them before. Blood was trickling out of the corner of his mouth; his hands now became stiff and curled up in shock as if he was having some kind of seizure. With my good hand, I wiped the blood away from his lips.

"I'm so sorry, Rafe…"

"D-D…" He choked.

"I'm so sorry but you deserve to know…" I started to cry again, my tears falling onto his face. "We have a daughter, Rafe, a little girl. She has your eyes…"

Rafe's mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but only gurgling and blood came out. Though there was still fear in his eyes, I could see them start to become distant. I placed my forehead against his, feeling him tremble uncontrollably.

"Vera… she has your eyes, Rafe…" I repeated, keeping my forehead resting on him.

We remained like that until he grew very still. Rafe had become obsessed and crazy over this treasure, hell he even tried to kill me, Sam, Nate, and God knows how many other people, but he was still my husband. I had known him my whole life, and had been married to him for twelve years, had two children with him. I couldn't help but feel some sentiment as he lay dying next to me. He passed away a few moments later, his eyes half-closed like he had fallen asleep. Simmons was standing over the two of us now, looking slightly amused as if he was watching some silly television program.

I glowered up at Simmons, tears streaming down my face, my left arm badly mangled, missing a couple fingers, had a few broken ribs, bleeding, but I was still pissed. I was told at an early age that my defiance would get me into trouble, but there was very little I had left to lose. I didn't want to give this fucking prick any more satisfaction out of seeing me lay pathetically on the ground in this Godforsaken cave somewhere in Libertalia. I gritted my teeth at Simmons, which barely generated any response from him, or his private militia. A lot of people had died by their hands, this wasn't a new sight to them.

"You really have grown some balls since I last saw you," Simmons commented. "You don't seem to stay down when you're whipped anymore. I need to fix that."

"Go fuck yourself," I growled.

Simmons brought the tip of his knife down to the bottom of my chin, using it to lift up my head toward him. I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, between my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, and the continuing ringing from tinnitus, I couldn't hear my inner conscious yelling for me to keep quiet. I still glared at him, even with his knife so close to my throat.

"You should really mind your mouth, little lady," Simmons warned, his tone so low I almost couldn't hear him. "Maybe I should do something to shut it up."

He removed his knife from my chin and stood up straight. I watched him carefully. With one hand, he removed his belt and handed it to one of his men. He started to unzip his pants, and I felt my heart nearly stop.

"Now, you're going to swallow what I give you," Simmons demanded, pointing his knife at me.

"Whatever you put in my mouth, you're going to lose it," I hissed. God how I wished I could stand up and run, but there was no escaping.

Simmons was now next to me and Rafe's body. He gripped the back of my head, and pulled my hair, dragging me away from Rafe. I yelped in pain, trying to struggle out of his grip, but I was far too weak. He stopped, but kept his hand on the back of my head, pushing my face into the crotch of his pants.

"Shut up you little twat," he placed the knife close to my neck again. With his other hand, he reached into the unzipped part of his pants, groping for his penis.

I tried to fight against him, scooting back on my knees even though his hand. This set him off, he drew back and punched me in the eye. I fell on my back, my injured arm slamming onto the stone ground. I howled in anguish. Simmons crawled on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He stabbed my left hand's palm with his knife all the way through. I let out another blood curdling scream, which made me receive another punch in the eye from Simmons. He fully took off his pants, and threw them off to the side. He was completely naked from the waist down, I couldn't bear to look.

One of Simmons' men began to speak up, but Simmons abruptly cut him off.

"Shut the fuck up and turn around and watch the perimeter," Simmons snapped.

The monster turned his attention back toward me. He was pissed that I was still trying to fight back, squirming from beneath him, but I was in such a weakened state that I was no match for his strength. His hands started to unzip my shorts as I tried to kick him off with all my might.

"Stop it, you fuckin' failure," he clipped, clearly annoyed.

He wasn't going to stop until I begged for death, that's how Simmons operates. At this point death seemed more and more like a much better alternative than what was about to happen to me. Until I fell unconscious he wouldn't stop his sick torture. He would grow bored then kill me. Simmons twisted the knife stuck in my hand to get me to stop.

"Hold still, you little bitch!"

Suddenly a shot rang out, and one of Simmons' men fell to the ground. Half of his head had been blown off. His militia glanced around wildly, their weapons raised. Simmons' head shot up, alerted. Another shot rang out, and another one of Simmons' men had been shot in the head. Simmons hopped off me, looking in the direction the gunshot had come from.

"Sniper," one of the militia men yelled, aiming his gun in the same direction.

"Don't just stand there, fuckin' take 'em out," Simmons demanded impatiently.

Instead of another bullet being shot toward the militia, a grenade was launched toward them. The explosion deafened and blinded me. More explosions and shouting followed. I had fainted somewhere in between the chaos, for how long I'm not sure. I eventually woke up to another person standing over me, I thought it was Simmons at first, but as my eyesight adjusted…

"Jesus."

Nadine stood over me, staring down at me in horror. She reached down and pulled the knife out of my hand. I felt myself losing consciousness again as Nadine tended to me.

"Watch…" I muttered as I started to drift away. Maybe death had come to take me at last. Now that Simmons is gone, the irony was almost funny.

"What?"

"Rafe's watch…"

Before I knew it, I was out cold.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of steady beeping, and the feeling of something pricking the bend of my right arm. My left arm felt stiff and compressed, and there was something covering my left eye. The ringing in my ears had gone quieter, but was still present. I opened my eyes to a white room with a single window and a door. The window showed the familiar and beautiful landscape of Madagascar. For a moment, I thought I had died and that I was in some weird state of limbo. I looked over to my right side to find an IV in my arm, taped down. A monitor connected to cords that ran into my hospital gown beeped and displayed my vitals on a screen. I squinted in confusion, unsure if this was reality or a dream. My left arm was completely wrapped in a cast going all the way down to my hand. Even with something over my left eye, I couldn't open it. I could feel that it was swollen shut. At my bed side table, something caught my eye. It was a silver Rolex watch that looked to be stained with blood; then I remembered.

Tears prickled my eyes. Nadine had saved me.

I don't know why, but she had attacked Simmons and his men and saved me. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that she would return just to save me. Maybe she wanted more of the treasure? That didn't seem right, Nadine had already secured some of Avery's treasure with Shoreline. Whatever the reason, I was beyond grateful.

My mind returned to Rafe and his dead body lying on the cave floor, and to Sam and Nate. Where were they? Did they drown and sink with the ship? Did the explosions from Simmons' men and Avery's traps kill them? Did they escape? The uncertainty was killing me. The thought of Sam being dead left a heavy emptiness in my heart. This made the tears well up even more and before I knew it I started to sob. I cried for a few reasons: for the pain I've endured, Rafe, for Sam, for the raw emotion I felt for Nadine saving me, for shock and relief of finally being free of all debt. Vera was safe now, and for some miraculous reason so was I. As I wept a nurse came in and was instantly at my bedside, alarmed.

"Miss, what is the matter, is the pain medication wearing off?"

Her accent was so thick I almost didn't understand her. I tried to quickly wipe my eyes with my good hand, but it was a fruitless effort.

"No, I'm just in shock and… a bit confused," I replied.

"You arrived with very severe injuries, miss. We could not notify your next of kin because you have no ID on you. Who should we contact?"

I thought about my parents, but I wasn't that close to them. Since my dad forced me to marry Rafe when I was eighteen we had become estranged. Not to mention the two of them let Simmons beat me when I first returned empty handed. There was only one number I had memorized, anyway.

"Sophie De Luca, my cousin. She lives in the Philippines."

The nurse brought me a phone. I dialed slowly with my right hand, trying not to pull against the IV too much. I brought the phone to my ear, listening to it ring on the other end. I prayed that Sophie would pick up; she was the only person that could help me right now.

"Hello," Sophie answered.

"Sophie…" I croaked, my hoarse voice barely able to stay steady. I was still weepy and groggy from all the medication that was being pumped into me.

"Dani? That you?"

I sniffed, taking a shuttering breath, "Sophie I need your help… I'm in a hospital in Madagascar-"

"Jesus, you okay," she interrupted, alarmed.

"Not really… Sophie, Rafe is dead and I'm stranded here…" I held back a sob, squinting my eyes closed, not that it would stop the tears. "I need help, Sophie…"

"Shit," Sophie swore, the concern clear in her voice. "I'll contact the US Embassy and see what they can do, might as well give your folks a call, too. Tell me what hospital you're at."

I glanced around the room, "I'm not sure, I woke up in here. Is… Vera there?"

"Sorry, hon, she's at school."

I sniffed in response. I glanced over at Rafe's Rolex sitting on the bed stand, feeling terribly guilty. Sophie went on about resources she was going to contact to help me, but I was only half-listening. I was thinking about my girl Vera. I hadn't called her since this whole Avery ordeal started. Another pang of guilt ripped through my body. What kind of mother am I? I wish I was healed already so I could go to the Philippines and see her. I missed my daughter so much.

"Sophie, there's one more thing I need help with."

"Anything."

I bit my lip. "Can you help me track down someone named Sam Drake?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Here it is at last: the finale.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story over the past year. I had a great time writing it, and I hope you all had a great time reading it. I tried to set up this chapter to prepare for the sequel, which I will be starting soon! Sorry that this chapter is shorter, but that's why! The adventure will continue! As always, enjoy xoxo**

* * *

It's been a few weeks since I was discharged from the hospital. I went to go stay with Sophie in the Philippines while legal disputes were settled, and my body healed. I was in incredible amounts of pain, but being able to see Vera and spend time with her daily was a blessing. I was astounded by her intelligence, maturity, and light sense of humor. With Sophie's help, we were able to put her into a prestigious private school throughout her elementary days, so I was happy to know her education was exceptional.

Before she left for school, Vera had her journal opened and was showing me one of her math problems. I couldn't understand any of it, then again, I was never a very good student. I was amazed that she already had a basic grasp of the concept of algebra.

"After that, you solve for _x_ ," Vera continued to explain to me, pointing at the equation with her pencil.

I chuckled, "how you understand this is beyond me."

Vera rolled her eyes with a smile, playfully teasing me. Her grey eyes looked so much like Rafe's that it was almost spooky. Part of me wondered if I did the right thing hiding Vera's existence from him. This was a thought that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"Come on, Vera, time to go," Sophie chimed, coming up quickly through the hallway.

She was ready and dressed for what looked like a formal meeting. Vera packed her journal and pencil. I hugged her with my good arm, and she returned the embrace. I couldn't be more thankful just being able to hug my daughter, I would never take that for granted again.

"See you after school, honey."

"Bye, mom, love you," Vera replied, those hauntingly beautiful grey eyes gazing up at me.

"Are you sure you'll be all right by yourself?" Sophie asked me, slinging her designer purse over her shoulder.

"I'm sure."

"Okay, see you later, Dani. If you need me, call me," Sophie said.

Sophie and Vera left, closing the door behind them. I sighed, glancing around the huge, empty house. I hobbled toward the bathroom, my body still horribly sore. I turned on the light and looked into the bathroom mirror.

I frowned at my grotesque appearance. My eye was no longer swollen, but was still darkened and puce. The white of my eye was red from burst blood vessels, contrasting with my other eye and quite terrible to look at. My left arm was in shambles. A metal rod had to be inserted to help the healing process since the bones inside were so shattered. My hand had been stitched up, and hurt constantly from the hole Simmons had stabbed through it. My two missing fingers were actually the easiest to cope with, they were now just wrapped up nubs. Several of my ribs had also been broken, but there wasn't much that could be done with that. I took pain, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic medication like clockwork, and refused to leave the house looking like this. I could barely stand Vera seeing me beaten like this, imagining the stares of strangers felt just as potent.

I switched off the bathroom light, unable to look at myself any longer. I left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen, feeling parched for a drink. I technically wasn't supposed to drink while on meds, but it helped dull the pain and helped me relax. The incident with Simmons did not leave me unscarred. There were nights I would wake up in a cold sweat, crying out in horror – it would scare my poor daughter to death. I could still hear him taunting me, and feel him hurting me; his vision would creep into my mind almost daily. Rafe's eyes as he died also appeared to me, like a ghost.

I think I deserved a small glass of Smirnoff on ice for that.

I drained the glass in almost one gulp, welcoming the burning sensation it left on my throat. The vodka sat like a brick in my stomach, but my mood had shifted from anxious and lonely to content.

I sat at the kitchen table, looking out the window, enjoying the sunshine on my face. Things were calm here. Going from treasure hunting to being housebound was quite a shift. I considered pouring myself another glass of Smirnoff, but decided against it. It was still morning, and I didn't want Vera to come home to find her mother incapacitated.

The doorbell ringing summoned me from my thoughts. I stood up slowly, grimacing slightly. Sophie hadn't told me to expect anyone today, but she always had clients coming over to discuss arms trade. I gimped over to the front door, hearing the doorbell ring again.

"Hang on," I called.

I made it to the door at last, twisting the knob and opening the large door. I was greeted by a familiar face, a face that had knocked the wind out of me. I gripped the doorknob for balance, my lip trembling at the very sight of him.

"Sam?"

"Dani, Jesus Christ," Sam exclaimed, gazing at my badly beaten body. He removed the cigarette from in between his lips, "my God, what happened to you?"

"Here, come in," I dodged the question, not wanting to talk about it out in the open.

He came in, observing my uneven stride, and the size and décor of the house. I led him to one of the sitting rooms, asking him if he wanted to sit on the couch so we could talk. Sophie had tried to track down Sam, but as far as I knew, had no luck finding him. He was an elusive figure, even his last name was an alias and was hard to find any record on. I feared that he was dead for weeks.

"I was trying to find you for weeks, I had almost given up hope," I started, brushing the hair from out of my face with my good hand.

"After the explosion on the ship, and when you didn't come out of the cave…" Sam's voice trailed off, "we thought you were dead, but-" he gently traced his calloused fingers over my cast, "-was all this done by that Simmons person?"

I swallowed thickly, my mood darkening at the mention of his name. I closed my eyes, unpleasantly recalling the last few moments with him, until an explosion had killed him.

"He had caught up to me, and he killed Rafe…" I stopped, feeling physically nauseous just recounting the event. "It was terrible, Sam, and I don't really want to go into any detail-"

"No, no, of course not," Sam soothed, his hand resting on my good one. "I'm just happy to see you're alive and, somewhat well. I'm so sorry Nate and I weren't there to help you."

I blinked away tears quickly. "Some good came out of it, I'm here living with my daughter and cousin now. I can finally try to make up for lost time. I want to be a better parent, and I'm trying to focus on that as my body heals."

"Of course," Sam nodded solemnly.

I smiled thinly, trying to change the subject. "What are you up to now? Still in the treasure hunting game?"

"Yeah, Victor and I just finished with a contact in Brazil. Victor was the one who received a message from your cousin, asking for me and saying that you were alive. I came right away. I wanted to see for myself if it was true," he kept his hand on mine.

"It's true," I said, softly, bringing up my good hand to gently caress his rough cheek.

He smiled at the contact, bringing his hand up to hold my own. The gentleness was so warm and comforting, I wondered slightly amused if this was partly because the alcohol was kicking in. He leaned in and kissed me, and I did the same. It was a soft kiss, but it meant everything to me. It meant that whatever was going on between us was still valid, even after all the hell we had both endured.

"There's um, something else I wanted to ask you, but now seeing your condition, I'm not sure it's such a great idea," Sam interjected, scratching the back of his head.

"What is it?"

"I got a lead from a contact on another treasure, and a lost city. This is a big one, Dani. I wanted to know if you'd come with me, but I don't think your body is in any state to do that."

I laughed, surprising both myself and Sam. I guess I never really was going to get out of treasure hunting, my family had done it for years, as did I. It was the only profession I had come to know. After Libertalia, I started to have my doubts of ever returning, but at the same time the thought of going with Sam and making money was enticing. Vera's education wasn't cheap, and I wanted to make sure that Sophie and I could continue to afford it. Sophie had money, but even her budgeting and income could be uncertain at times.

Sam was about to open his mouth to say something, but I beat him to the punch. To say my answer shocked him would be an understatement, but I was yearning for a purpose, a career, another adventure even. I wanted to provide, but also return showing something for it. Even after all the horror and pain Simmons had instilled into me, I found myself still wanting to continue on as a treasure hunter, but this time would be better because I was free.

I was ready to return to the fray, only this time with an unrelenting desire to support my child:

"I'm in."

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_


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